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THE 

POETRY  OF  TRAVELLING 

IN   THE 

UNITED    STATES. 

BY  CAROLINE  GILMAN. 
WITH  ADDITIONAL   SKETCHES, 

BY  A  FEW  FRIENDS  ; 


A  WEEK  AMONG  AUTOGRAPHS, 
BY  REV.  S.  GILMAN. 


The  Traveller  delighteth  in  the  view 

Of  change  and  choice,  of  sundry  kind  of  creatures, 

To  mark  the  habits,  and  to  note  the  hue 

Of  far-born  people,  and  their  sundry  natures, 

Their  shapes,  their  speech,  their  gait,  their  looks,  their  features. 

Breton's  Longing  of  a  Blessed  Heart. 


N  E  W  -  Y  O  R  K  : 

S.  COLMAN,  141  NASSAU  STREET. 
1838. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congrew  of  the  United  Statei  of  America, 
in  the  year  1838,  by  SAMUEL  COLMAN,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District 
Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New-York. 


NKW-VORK: 

Printed  by  SCATCHERD  &  ADAMS. 
No.  38  Gold  Street. 


THIS  WORK 

13   GRATEFULLY   DEDICATED 

TO   THOSE   INDIVIDUALS,   WHOSE   HOSPITALITY 
MADE   TRAVELLING   POETICAL, 

BY 

C.  G. 


PREFACE 


A  WORK  of  the  character  here  presented  to  the 
public  carries  upon  its  "  very  head  and  front " 
its  own  recommendation  or  its  failure.  It  makes 
no  pretensions  to  add  much  weight  to  the  stock 
of  literature.  It  will  prove  a  sufficient  satisfac- 
tion to  the  author,  should  it  be  found  to  give 
new  interest  to  the  valuable  department  of  the 
pleasant  reading  of  the  day.  The  intention  was 
to  present  something  in  the  same  volume  which 
might  prove  attractive  to  both  the  Northern  and 
Southern  reader ;  to  make  the  book  particularly 
a  gratifying  and  instructive  companion  to  all 
classes  of  travellers  who  circulate  through  the 
land  ;  and  if  it  come  to  this,  it  will  be  a  source 
of  gratification  to  the  writer,  as  it  is  presumed 
it  may  be  to  all  who  love  that  land,  to  find  some- 
thing done,  in  this  manner,  to  increase  a  good 
sympathy  between  different  portions  of  the  coun- 
try. 


.9784 


CONTENTS. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

PAGE 

Norfolk, '  1 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Congressional  Burying  Ground, 

May  Day, 

Mount  Vernon,      - 

Baltimore, 

Armelle  Nicholas's  Account  of  Herself,      - 

Philadelphia,         -    p.;/t-        -T*^      -  -          30 

Released  Convict's  Cell,     .  -  -  -          51 

Mew-York. 53 

Gowhannus,  Long  Island, 

Fishkill  Landing,  .  .  -  -          63 

The  Fairy  Isle,  and  the  Lady  Archers,     -  -         .66 

The  Faeries'  Song,  -  -  -  -          67 

The  Domestic  Squirrel,     -  -  .  -          68 

Denning' s  Point,  Fishkill,  -  -  -          70 

West-Point, 
West-Point  Eagle, 

Troy, "" 

Song  of  the  Wanderer,      - 

Saratoga, 

Saratoga  Lake,     -----          87 

OQ 

Utica, 

Music  on  the  Canal,          .... 
Trenton  Falls, 

Auburn,  *  " 

Canandaigua,        ....  •        100 


CONTENTS.  *Y  '' 

PAGE 

Buffalo,     -  .  101 

Niagara  Falls,  Upper  Canada,    ...  106 

yX  Cataract  House      -  -  -  -  -  110 

/   Kingston,  Lake  Ontario,  -  .    -  116 

Montreal,  -  -  -  -  -  -  119 

Qftrfw, -  121 

"Burlington,  -  -  -  -  -  131 

Bellow's  Falls,       .....  133 

Watertown,  -  -  .  -  -  134 

Cambridge,  -  -  -  -  -  138 

'Phi  Beta  Kappa  Celebration,        -  -  145 

Washington's  Elm,  -  -  -  -  155 

Mount  Auburn,      -  -  -  -  -  164 

Worcester,  .....  173 

Salem,        -  .        '    .  f'.^'  . '""i'  173 

Charkstown,          -  -  -  185 

Quincy,     ...  -  189 

Mr.  Dowse's  Library,  Cambridge  port,     -  -  190 

Boston,      -  190 

Mr.  Alcott's  School,  -  -  -  -  193 

Swedenborgian  Chapel,     -  -  -  -  197 

Sacred  Music— Children's  Church,  -  -  198 

Bethel  Church,        .....  200 

Ode, 203 

St.  Michael's  Spire,  ....  206 

NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Excursion  up  Cooper  River,          -  -  21 1 

Chats-worth,  Ashley  River,  223 

A  Southern  Scene,  ....  272 

Mary  Anna  Gibbes,  the  Heroine  of  Stono,  -  238 

Sullivan's  Island,   .....  245 

A  Southern  Sketch,  -  -  -  -  250 

The  Blind  Negro  Communicant,         -  -•.  »  -' '      -  255 

Southern  Local  Sketch,      -       *">  -          -  -  257 

Private  Collection  of  Paintings,  -  .  -  260 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Sketches  from  Buncombe,  -           -           -  268 

Mountain  Lodge,  -           -           -           -  281 

Letters  from  Georgia—  The  Gold  Mines,-           -  284 

Tallulah  Falls,     -           -           -  295 

Hymn— Falls  of  Toccoa,    -           -           -  299 

Coweta  Falls,                      ....  305 

Scenery  on  the  Chattahouchie,       -           -           -  310 

Tlie  Soldier's  Mound,        -           -           -  316 

Private  Journal  from  Charleston  to  New-York,  -  325 

Dialogue  between  Body  and  Spirit,           «            -  325 

The  Private  Conveyance,             -            -.           -  327 

The  Stage  Coach,              -           -           -            -  335 

The  Blue  Ridge, 336 

French  Broad  River — Paint  Rock,           -           -  341 
The  Red  Sulphur,  the  Salt  Sulphur,  and  the  White 

Sulphur  Springs,  -----  343 

Lexington,  Va.      -           -           -           -           -  356 

The  Natural  Bridge,       -           -           -           -  359 

Wyer>s  Cave.         -       .v.  -           .           -           -  361 

A  WEEK  AMONG  AUTOGRAPHS. 

Autograph  Collections,       -  373 

Anecdote  of  Campbell,  377 

The  Science  of  the  Autograph  Collector,  -           -  378 

Curious  Letters,     -                         ...  384 

Letters  from  Distinguished  Foreigners,    -           -  391 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXC 


NORFOLK,  April  24,  1836. 

"  Once  more  upon  the  waters !  yet  once  more  ! 
And  the  waves  bound  beneath  me  as  a  steed 
That  knows  his  rider." 

THE  sea,  however,  was  not  unto  me  "  like  a  horse 
that  knows  its  rider,"  but  rather  like  an  old  mule 
that  kicked  and  jerked  backward.  Yet  let  me  not 
say  a  word  against  the  South  Carolina,  that  bore 
me  from  Charleston.  She  is  a  "  brave  ship,"  and 
long  may  she  stem  the  waves  in  security,  transport- 
ing happy  hearts  in  her  ocean  cradle,  an  emblem 
of  the  State  whose  name  she  bears.  Let  me  not 
recal  mere  physical  suffering,  nor  the  wry  looks  of 
ladies  with  soiled  night-caps,  and  the  more  forlorn 
aspect  of  sea-sick  men  with  long  beards;  it  is 
enough  that  it  was  a  bright  April  day  when  we 
neared  the  Chesapeake.  How  curious  are  the  as- 
sociations  connected  with  a  name  !  I  had  been 
amused  in  early  life  with  the  term  Rip  Raps ;  and 
all  the  books  and  newspapers  in  the  world  could 
not  divest  me  of  the  association  of  belaboured 
knuckles,  until  I  saw  this  odd-looking  fortification, 
and  felt  that  1  was  gazing  on  a  favorite  retreat  of 
the  first  officer  in  our  country.  And  Point  Com- 
1 


2  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

fort  too, — old  Point  Comfort  ;  it  is  a  very  great 
piece  of  simplicity  to  acknowledge,  but  I  was  quite 
startled  with  the  uncomfortable  looking  guns.  Spring 
was  slowly  advancing,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see 
stripes  of  green  struggling  through  the  discoloured 
grass  on  the  banks,  like  a  smile  on  a  harsh  counte- 
nance. 

The  Marine  Hospital  is  a  noble  edifice  externally, 
and  I  learned  that  it  is  equally  well  arranged  in  its 
various  departments  ;  but  two  officers  told  me  that 
nothing  would  induce  them  to  avail  themselves  of 
its  advantages.  How  extensively, this  feeling  pre- 
vails with  regard  to  such  establishments !  I  learn- 
ed, for  the  first  time,  that  there  is  a  tax  of  two  dol- 
lars levied  on  every  individual  who  arrives  in  this 
country,  whether  native  or  foreigner,  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  United  States'  Navy  Hospitals. 

Norfolk  appeared  to  me  to  have  been  underrated 
in  its  appearance ; — however  it  may  be,  I  enjoyed 
the  good  fare  at  a  well-attended  hotel,  walked  in 
business  streets  that  looked  busy,  and  in  retired 
streets  where  the  hand  of  taste  had  not  been  idle. 
A  beautiful  flower,  now  pressed  in  my  Bible,  was 
gathered  for  me  by  a  fair  hand  in  a  choice  green- 
house on  Sunday,  and  I  found  a  noble  temple  in 
which  to  offer  up  my  grateful  thanks  to  God  for 
guiding  me  thus  far.  I  must  stop  to  give  merited 
praise  to  the  crowded  congregation  in  Bishop 
Mead's  church,  for  the  oneness  with  which  they 
joined  in  the  forms  of  the  Liturgy.  They  knelt  to- 
gether, rose  together,  and  their  voices  ascended  in 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.        3 

religious  harmony  from  the  pews  with  the  fine 
choir  above.  No  individual  looked  as  if  the  ser- 
vice was  for  others  and  not  for  him. 

A  polite  acquaintance  conducted  us,  on  Saturday 
afternoon,  to  the  Navy  Yard  and  Dry  Dock  at 
Gosport.  After  crossing  the  ferry  we  entered 
Portsmouth,  and  a  little  cluster  of  houses  on  the 
right,  called  Charleston,  stirred  up  associations  that 
might  well  claim  a  rivalry,  insignificant  as  was  the 
spot,  with  the  noble  work  of  art  we  were  to  contem- 
plate. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

I  enjoyed  beyond  description  our  excursion  up 
the  Potomac  in  the  fine  steam-boat  Columbia.  A 
fresh,  pure  breeze  threw  new  life  into  my  frame  ; 
friends,  as  agreeable  as  kind,  beguiled  the  way ;  and 
the  sun,  bright  and  clear,  shone  above  without  ex- 
hausting  me.  The  captain  of  the  Columbia  has 
been  sailing  up  and  down  the  river  forty  years. 
When  asked  if  his  sleepless  nights  did  not  injure  his 
health,  his  reply  was,  that  he  became  sick  if  he  did 
not  keep  awake  four  nights  in  the  week,  and  was 
actually  made  so  once  by  sleeping  every  night  for 
a  fortnight. 

The  shad  and  herring  fisheries  produce  an  ani- 
mated effect  at  this  season  of  the  year  on  the  Po- 
tomac. Nets  are  thrown  out  all  along  for  many 
miles  ;  and  the  fishermen's  huts,  with  their  curl- 
ing smoke,  scattered  along  the  shore,  and  their 
skiffs,  apparently  reposing  on  the  waters,  give  a 


4  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

picturesque  effect  to  the  scene.  Our  captain  inform- 
ed us  that  some  of  the  nets  are  three  miles  long  ;  in 
this  case  the  fishermen  have  to  take  advantage  of 
the  tide  to  aid  them  in  drawing  them  in.  The  sea- 
son of  fishing  lasts  but  six  weeks. 

And  now  Mount  Vernon  appeared.  I  had  had 
dreams,  or  thoughts  like  dreams,  of  this  scene  from 
childhood.  My  earliest  idea  was,  of  a  high  moun- 
tain set  apart,  where  I  fancied  Washington  to  have 
stood,  taller  and  larger  than  other  men,  dictating  to 
the  country.  Older  fancies  came,  and  I  have  thrown 
the  light  of  imagination  round  the  spot,  while  his 
figure  in  the  front  ground  grew  bright  in  the  con- 
templation. The  place  was  actually  before  me  now, 
and  my  heart  thrilled  with  the  consciousness  that  he 
had  stood  there,  that  there  his  dust  reposed,  that 
there  were  nurtured  those  thoughts  which  made  me 
politically  what  I  am.  I  am  not  given  to  tears,  but 
they  started  to  my  eyes.  I  put  the  world  behind 
me  as  a  vain  thing,  and  was  alone  with  Washing- 
ton. 

We  reached  the  city.  I  would  rather,  for  my 
own  taste,  have  seen  the  capitol  divested  of  the 
dome ;  but  it  is  an  imposing  building,  and  the  more 
I  look  upon  it,  the  more  I  enjoy  its  beautiful  propor- 
tions and  its  emerald  terraces. 

And  now  it  is  midnight,  and  I  am  here.  It  is 
only  five  days  since  we  bade  farewell  to  Charleston. 
A  serenade  of  French  horns  is  sounding  before  our 
residence.  I  know  not  how  many  fair  hands  are 
drawing  aside  their  curtains,  for  one  is  as  much  a 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.       5 

stranger  to  one's  next  neighbor  in  these  large  esta- 
blishments as  in  a  crowded  city. 

I  should  have  said  that  we  passed  the  evening  at  the 
rooms  of  one  of  the  members  of  the  House.  It  was 
really  amusing  to  hear  the  announcement  of  names 
from  all  quarters  of  the  Union.  If  any  thing  can 
remove  prejudices,  it  is  coming  here  and  seeing  this 
variety.  But  prejudice  is  a  tough  old  knot,  and 
will  not  be  removed  half  the  time  without  killing 
root  and  branch  too.  Here  are  persons  whom  I 
have  not  seen  for  years,  with  the  same  little  tricks, 
graceful  or  otherwise,  of  manner  :  one  plays  with 
his  fingers,  another  rubs  his  thigh,  another  feels  his 
chin,  just  as  he  did  twenty  years  ago,  and  keeps 
his  likes  and  dislikes  in  the  same  proportion  ;  he  is 
the  same  man,  too,  perhaps,  for  good  and  for  evil. 

Thanks,  indeed,  for  my  good  fortune.  Mr.  Clay 
speaks  to-morrow  on  the  Land  Bill.  I  can  scarcely 
think  of  sleep  when  this  prospect  is  before  me — such 
a  realization  of  my  wishes — indee'd,  thus  has  it  been 
with  me  since  my  last  final  struggle  to  quit  for  a 
while  my  quiet  home.  Blue  skies  haye  looked 
down,  kind  hands  have  been  extended,  kind  hearts 
opened,  and  now  in  the  field  of  mind  I  am  likely  to 
reap  a  rich  harvest. 

One  feels,  on  leaving  the  quiet  South,  passing  ra- 
pidly on,  and  entering  Washington  while  Congress 
is  in  session,  as  if  inhaling  gas.  Any  one  of  the 
attractions  here  would  be  great  singly,  but  when  one 
combines  the  imposing  view  of  the  public  buildings, 
refined  and  various  society,  where  the  play  of  so- 
1* 


6  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

cial  feelings  softens  the  glow  of  powerful  intellect, 
and  the  debates,  where  mind  follows  mind  like  wave 
upon  wave,  now  showing  the  light  foam  of  dancing 
billows,  now  rushing  and  sparkling  like  a  gathered 
sea,  and  swallowing  up  the  less  powerful  waters  ; 
all  .these  things  coming  suddenly  on  a  retired  indi- 
vidualj  are  for  a  few  days  bewildering. 

The  galleries  were  crowded  to  hear  Mr.  Clay's 
speech — (many  suppose  his  last.)  The  Land  Bill 
is  a  hackneyed  theme,  and  Mr.  Clay  was  oppressed  by 
indisposition  ;  but  still  I  saw  the  power  beneath,  with 
which  he  has  wielded,  and  will,  under  other  circum- 
stances, still  wield  the  lever  of  human  sympathies. 
He  spoke  three  hours.  There  is  something  as  sub- 
lime  as  melancholy  to  me  in  the  decline  of  a  states- 
man ;  and  the  thought,  that  a  mind  which  has  ruled 
so  many  minds  should  lie  by  like  a  severed  branch, 
would  be  only  melancholy,  if  the  doctrine  of  immor- 
tality did  not  come  in  and  tell  of  its  probable  tri- 
umphant change  hereafter,  when  the  knee  shall  not 
tremble,  nor  the  hand  be  raised  to  the  moist  and 
dizzy  brow,  nor  the  voice  grow  tremulous  with  age 
or  care.  The  mind  of  this  great  man  did  not  seem 
to  me  to  be  faded.  There  is  the..shadow  of  an 
eclipse  rather  over  his  heart  than  his  intellect,  which 
will,  must  burst  forth  again  and  again. 

A  visit  to  Washington  is  certainly  imperfect 
without  an  introduction  to  the  President.  Nothing 
can  be  more  striking  than  the  gentleness  and  cour- 
tesy of  his  manner  to  ladies  and  youth,  contrasted 
with  his  energetic  will.  He  pronounced,  at  our 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.        7 

visit,  a  tender  and  beautiful  eulogium  on  his  late 
pastor  in  this  city,  as  being  "  one  of  those  good 
trees  which  were  known  by  their  fruits." 

The  Congressional  burying-ground  is  an  interest- 
ing place,  though  not  so  picturesque  as  such  a  spot 
should  be.  The  monument  to  Gerry,  former  Vice- 
President,  is  rich  ;  but  there  is  a  setness  about  the 
long  line  of  tombs  of  the  senators  and  representa- 
tives rather  chilling  to  the  eye  which  associates 
poetry  with  the  .grave.  It  has  been  mentioned  to 
me  as  a  favorite  idea  with  some  of  the  members  of 
Congress  to  make  Mount  Vernon  the  Congressional 
burying-ground ;  to  erect  the  great  Washington 
monument  there,  and  remove  those  which  have  been 
raised  on  the  present  site.  This  would  indeed  be 
worthy  of  the  noble  plans  which  have  already  been 
accomplished  in  the  capitol  and  its  grounds.  Whe- 
ther, however,  there  is  not  something  more  touching 
in  the  lonely  burial-place  of  our  country's  idol,  even 
if  its  waving  trees  and  natural  flowers  are  not 
better  suited  to  those  deep  musings  which  absorb 
him  who  comes  to  pay  his  tribute  to  that  shrine,  it 
is  difficult  to  say. 

Many  laborers  are  at  work  on  the  Congressional 
burial-ground  in  this  city;  but  every  thing  looks 
stiff,  as  if  the  unconscious  occupants  there  were 
really  placed  for  show. 

Tomb  nods  to  tomb,  each  marble  has  its  brother, 
And  every  monument  reflects  the  other. 

In  a  drive  this  morning  with  Colonel and  his 


8      '  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

lady,  we  saw  a  solitary  grave  in  the  woods ;  and  its 
contrast  to  the  studied  character  of  the  Congres- 
sional burying-ground  led  my  thoughts  into  the  fol- 
lowing train : — 

THE  CONGRESSIONAL  BURYING-GROUND, 

AND  THE  WOODLAND  GRAVE. 

The  pomp  of  death  was  there, — 
The  lettered  urn,  the  classic  marble  rose, 
And  coldly,  in  magnificent  repose, 

Stood  out  the  column  fair. 

The  hand  of  art  was  seen 

Throwing  the  wild  flowers  from  the  gravelled  walk ; — 
The  sweet  wild  flowers, — that  hold  their  quiet  talk 

Upon  the  uncultured  green.. 

And  now,  perchance,  a  bird 
Hiding  amid  the  trained  and  scattered  trees, 
Sent  forth  his  carol  on  the  scentless  breeze, — 

But  they  were  few  1  heard. 

Did  my  heart's  pulses  beat  1 
And  did  mine  eye  o'erflow  with  sudden  tears, 
Such  as  gush  up  'mid  memories  of  years, 

When  humbler  graves  we  meet  1 

A  humbler  grave  I  met, 
On  the  Potomac's  leafy  >  anks,  when  May, 
Weaving  spring  flowers,  stood  out  in  colors  gay, 

With  her  young  coronet. 

A  lonely,  nameless  grave, 

•"    Stretching  its  length  beneath  th'  o'erarching  trees, 
Which  told  a  plaintive  story,  as  the  breeze 
Came  their  new  buds  to"  wave. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

But  the  lone  turf  was  green 
As  that  which  gathers  o'er  more  honored  forms ; 
Nor  with  more  harshness  had  the  wintry  storms 

Swept  o'er  that  woodland  scene. 

The  flower  and  springing  blade 
Looked  upward  with  their  young  and  shining  eyes, 
And  met  the  sunlight  of  the  happy  skies, 

And  that  low  turf  arrayed. 

And  unchecked  birds  sang  out 
The  chorus  of  their  spring-time  jubilee ; — 
And  gentle  happiness  it  was  to  me, 

To  list  their  music-shout. 

And  to  that  stranger-grave 
The  tribute  of  enkindling  thoughts,  the  free 
And  unbought  power  of  natural  sympathy, 

Passing,  I  sadly  gave. 

And  a  religious  spell 

On  that  lone  mound,  by  man  deserted,  rose, — 
A  conscious  presence  from  on  high ;  which  glows 

Not  where  the  worldly  dwell, 


I  was  surprised  to  find  myself  as  much  interested 
in  the  House  as  in  the  Senate.  The  play  of  features 
is  more  diversified,  the  range  of  passion  widen  In 
the  midst  of  some  eloquent  and  powerful  passages  of 
Colonel  Bell  of  Tennessee,  I  saw  a  lad  enterr  and 
present  a  bunch  of  hyacinths  to  an  old  gentleman,  a 
member.  If  his  thoughts  did  not  wander  to  some 
far-off  spot,  where  flowers  were  tended  by  young  and 
loving  hands,  I  know  not  the  language  of  eyes ;  but 
while  I  was  romancing,  another  lad  entered,  and  pour- 


10      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ed  biscuit  enough  for  a  family-supply  into  the  table- 
drawer  of  another  member,  and  my  speculations  were 
changed. 

I  am  never  weary  of  looking  at  the  capitol,  in  all 
its  various  external  and  internal  arrangements.  I 
give  myself  eye,  ear,  and  soul  even  to  the  most  in- 
consequential  debates,  and  when  certain  men  do  rise, 
1  feel  such  a  thrill  rush  through  my  heart  as  makes 
me  feel  that  enthusiasm  belongs  not  to  youth  only. 

I  have  considered  myself  fortunate  in  hearing  a 
debate  mostly  from  western  men,  in  the  senate,  on 
the  subject  of  removing  obstructions  in  the  Missis- 
sippi ;  not  that  there  was  much  eloquence — indeed, 
the  subject  did  not  call  for  it — but  that  I  witnessed 
developements  of  the  state  feeling,  which  seems  to 
be  growing  throughout  our  country.  Oh,  that  west. 
ern  giant !  how  it  is  striding  along — all  sinew,  and 
nerve,  and  impulse,  like  its  own  rushing  river,  bear- 
ing down  obstacles,  and  treading  with  its  great  foot 
on  things  heretofore  held  immoveable. 

Washington  is  not,  as  I  expected,  a  good  place  for 
removing  mere  state  feelings.  My  constituents  !  the 
very  phrase  carries  with  it  a  host  of  local  sympa- 
thies, perhaps  prejudices.  I  see  other  great  men 

beside  C— and  P in  the  senate,  but  how  is 

it  that  .when  they  rise  I  feel  as  if  the  reputation  of  a 
father  or  brother  was  at  stake  ?  I  meet  in  society 
gentlemen  of  brilliant  minds,  and  sound  thought,  and 
polished  manners;  but  how  is  it  that  the  Southern 
delegates  seem  to  me  clothed  with  double  interest  ? 
The  secret  is  all  in  state  feeling. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      11 

I  am  sorry  for  this,  sorry  for  the  clanship  which 
prevails,  for  it  seems  to  me  that  at  Washington  the 
Union  only,  and  its  great  interests,  should  fill  our 
thoughts  ;  but  thus  it  is ;  and  I  am  carried  away 
by  the  stream,  and  a  word  against  Carolina  is  a  per- 
sonal  offence  to  me. 

Amid  the  clanship,  however,  there  is  a  general 
and  beautiful  courtesy,  which  in  private  leads  to  the 

-  happiest  results  ;  a  pleasant  jest  is  the  very  hardest 

;  .weapon  used,  and  that  sparingly.  The  extreme 
Northern  and  Southern  members  are  on  terms  of 

i  the  most  agreeable  intercourse. 

s  A  singular,  and  to  me  affecting  contrast  to  the 
general  tone  and  contents  of  the  public  buildings 
here,  is  presented  by  the  exhibition  of  the  Indian 
portraits  and  costumes  in  the  War  Department,  and 
the  display  of  mechanical  art  in  the  patent  office.* 
It  speaks  a  language  of  such  power,  that  if  one  had 
time  to  think  in  Washington,  it  would  afford  mus- 
ing for  the  day  ;  but  one  is  hurried  away — a  debate 
is  to  be  heard,  where  some  speaker  is  to  move  or 
try  to  move  the  nation  ;  or  a  party  for  Mount  Ver- 
non  are  going  to  steal  from  this  busy  scene,  and 
grow  pensive  over  the  tomb  of  Washington,  or 
Georgetown  is  to  be  visited,  with  its  institutions  ;  the 
Jesuits'  college,  curious  from  its  calm  contrast  to 
this  hurrying  spot,  and  the  Nunnery,  where  young 
voices  are  tuned  to  harmony  in  a  quiet  so  deep  that 
even  the  ripple  of  the  world's  waters  is  not  heard 

*  This  valuable  building  has  been  destroyed  by  fire. 


12      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

or  mere  fashion  calls  us,  with  its  imperative  voice, 
to  look  at  some  new  shrine";  or  etiquette,  still  more 
imperiously  forces  us  from  what  we  would,  to  what 
we  must  do. 

MAY. 

The  May  Day  Ball.  Nature  will  not  be  crushed 
even  at  Washington,  or  rather  Carusi,  in  his  bril- 
liant saloon,  erected  her  banner  last  evening.  But 
Nature  was  crushed,  poor  thing,  at  Carusi's,  who. 
with  all  his  art,  could  not  control  the  immense  con- 
course which  pressed  to  see  the  Queen  of  May  and 
her  Floras  as  they  passed  in  procession  up  the  hall. 
Many  a  mother's  heart  leaped  as  the  thought  of  her 
absent  ones  rushed  upon  her  memory  while  looking 
on  those  young  flower-crowned  brows. 

I  was  glad  that  I  could  not  hear  a  word  of  the 
addresses,  though  I  stood  close  to  the  Queen  ;  I 
was  glad  that  the  fair  crowner,  when  she  unpinned 
the  wreath  from  her  pretty  blue  cushion  that  was 
handed  her  by  a  little  cupid-boy,  clapped  the  pin  in 
her  mouth,  though  it  had  not  the  effect  of  Demos- 
thenes' pebbles ;  I  was  glad  of  all  this,  because  it 
showed  that,  though  the  society  is  necessarily  very 
artificial  here,  these  young  creatures  were  still  na- 
tural beings.  Had  the  pretty  crowner  deliberately 
replaced  her  pins  in  the  cushion,  and  spoken  oratori- 
cally,  I  should  not  have  loved  her  half  so  well.  The 
May  day  ball  gives  an  interesting  view  of  Washing- 
ton. Every  lady  in  the  city  is  invited,  and  every 
gentleman  may  attend  by  purchasing  a  ticket  for  a 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      13 

small  sum.  What  a  mixture  of  emotions  are  swel- 
ling in  such  a  crowd !  I  met  a  friend  of  my  youth 
unexpectedly.  She  kissed  me  with  sudden  impulse, 
and  there  was  a  struggle  with  her  tears.  An  In- 
dian passed  us — not  perhaps, 

"  A  man  without  a  teav," 

for  he  was  dressed  in  the  costume  of  civilization, 
except  a  brilliant  belt  of  bead- work,  that  told  us  what 
he  hud  been. 

"  The  stoic  of  the  woods" 
had  become  a  Washington  beau. 

Almost  the  first  small  sleeves  that  have  been  seen 
in  America  for  seven  years  appeared  at  Carusi's, 
on  the  person  of  a  Virginia  lady,  who  has  been  to 
France.  What  a  sensation  !  There  was  half  a 
shudder  among  the  company  as  they  felt  the  im- 
mense sacks  on  their  arms,  contrasted  with  those 
new  sleeves  without  one  relieving  plait,  tight — tight 
as  a  suit  of  armour,  from  the  shoulder  to  the  elbow. 
A  pair  of  black  mits  were  on  the  arm,  which  ren- 
dered the  novelty  more  striking  from  the  contrast 
in  colour,  the  dress  being  white. 

Both  Houses  have  adjourned  to-day  on  account 
of  the  death  of  Gov.  Manning,  one  of  our  repre- 
sentatives. This  adjournment  gives  one  an  oppor- 
tunity for  long  and  delicious  conversations  with  va- 
rious visiters.  How  delightfully  the  great  men 
here  pour  out  their  social  and  home  feelings,  if  I 
may  use  the  term.  Being  really  at  home  themselves, 
they  give  a  peculiar  charm  to  a  stranger's  intercourse. 
2 


14      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

I  am  alternately  attracted  by  the  deep  running 
stream  of  political  thought  in  one,  the  playful,  fan- 
ciful sallies  of  another,  and  the  calm,  dignified,  af- 
fectionate manners  of  others  from  different  quarters 
of  our  country. 

I  attend  the  debates,  I  flatter  myself,  with  right 
views  ;  not  with  an  eager  curiosity  to  hear  this  or 
that  man,  a  desire  perhaps  subdued  by -private  in- 
tercourse, which  furnishes  a  richer  knowledge  of 
characters  and  minds  ;  not  with  a  nervous  anxiety 
about  any  particular  question  ;  but,  gazing  on  the 
great  stream  of  things,  I  watch,  with  almost  equal 
interest,  the  leaf  that  is  floating  down  the  tide,  and 
the  mighty  bark  laden  with  thought  and  power. 
The  Houses  are  like  a  vast  map,  on  which,  though 
there  be  small  as  well  as  large  cities  laid  down,  they 
are  inhabited  by  human  'beings,  who  belong  to  the 
whole  family  of  our  country,  and  the  spot  which 
now  seems  insignificant  may  be  destined,  in  the 
many  commercial  and  political  changes  to  which 
we  are  incident,  to  be  "a great  people."  Such,  too, 
may  be  the  varied  destinies  of  the  minds  and  the 
topics  brought  together  here. 

To  a  feminine  glance,  the  Navy  Yard  at  Wash- 
ington is  more  attractive  than  at  Gosport,  from  its 
neat  and  tasteful  arrangement.  There  is  something 
in  visiting  a  great  war-vessel  that  fills  my  mind  for 
a  long  time.  It  is  a  perfect  poem,  from  its  first 
giant  arrangement  on  the  stocks,  until  it  is  sent  forth 
to  its  intended  work  of  destruction,  a  miniature 
floating  world.  The  Columbia,  now  fitting  out  at 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  15 

the  Washington  Navy  Yard,  and  carrying  fifty-four 
guns,  is  less  in  dimensions  and  power  than  the  Vir- 
ginia at  Norfolk  or  the  Pennsylvania  at  Philadel- 
phia. I  was  glad  of  an  opportunity  of  visiting  her 
with  an  experienced  and  intelligent  officer.  She  is 
finished  but  not  furnished,  and  the  eye  therefore  is 
not  deceived  by  attractive  decorations,  but  takes  in 
her  immense  capacity,  in  all  its  apparent  simplicity, 
but  actually  consummate  art.  The  armoury  in  the 
yard  is  as  prettily  arranged  as  a  lady's  boudoir,  and 
it  presents  a  curious  association  of  thought  to  see 
such  deadly  weapons  of  destruction  a  matter  of  taste- 
ful exhibition. 

All  the  iron  work  for  the  United  States'  Navy  is 
made  in  this  yard.  The  steam  apparatus  is  wonder- 
fully simple  and  beautiful.  I  watched  the  operation 
of  moulding  the  red-hot  iron  with  those  huge  trap- 
hammers  ;  and  as  my  head  was  full  of  Congress  at 
the  time,  I  likened  the  heated  and  flashing  iron  to 
the  members,  excited  in  debate,  when  down  comes 
upon  them,  in  some  powerful  mind,  a  trap-hammer  of 
legislation,  and  shivers  and  moulds  them  at  its  will. 

There  are  a  few  trophies  here  of  considerable  inte- 
rest ;  two  brass  cannon,  taken  at  Tripoli,  on  the 
grounds  ;  a  lion,  the  figure-head  from  the  Macedonia 
in  the  armoury,  and  others  which  I  forget* 

Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Walker  of  Mississippi  have  had 
some  sparring.  Mr.  Clay  was  excited,  and  in  ten 
minutes  showed  more  of  character,  and  withering 
satirical  power  than  in  his  whole  speech  on  the 
Land  Bill.  I  could  scarcely  realize  that  he  was  the 


16      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

calm  speaker  who  dwelt  so  long  on  argumentative 
illustrations  and  numerical  details.  The  shake  of  his 
arm  was  like  Jupiter's  ;  and  the  repetition  of  some 
single  word,  for  which  he  has  long  been  distinguish, 
ed,  was  singularly  effective. 

To-day  I  attended  a  religious  service  at  the  capi- 
tol.  The  waves  of  the  world  had  rolled  off;  even 
the  echo  of  a  stormy  debate  of  the  preceding  day  on 
the  frontier  appropriation  bill  had  died  away,  and  we 
were  left,  amid  that  beautiful  hall,  with  its  lofty  pillars 
and  arching  dome,  to  commune  with  the  Deity.  The 
congregation  sat  in  the  seats  of  the  members.  Ma- 
ny  persons  remark  that  their  attention  is  distracted 
by  the  associations  of  the  place  ;  but  to  me,  who  have 
yet  a  lingering  touch  of  enthusiasm,  the  solemnity 
was  rather  enhanced  by  them.  I  felt  what  the  Sab- 
bath is  ;  how  it  comes  in  like  some  messenger  of  love, 
throwing  a  curtain  over  sleeping  care,  or  light- 
ing up  a  torch  to  animate  our  future  way.  Mr.  Hig- 
by,  the  officiating  chaplain,  is  an  earnest,  dignified 
speaker.  "  Now  is  the  day  of  our  salvation,"  was 
his  theme  ;  and  he  is  not  answerable,  if  we  who  heard 
him  did  not  look  far  down  into  our  own  hearts,  and 
avail  ourselves  of  the  "  accepted  time."  The  service 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  was  read.  A  distinguished 
senator  from  the  south-west  appeared  to  be  intently 
studying  his  prayer-book  until  the  service  commenc- 
ed, and  afterwards  joined  loudly  in  the  responses. 
His  air  was  extremely  devotional.  I  should  judge 
him  to  be  a  real  lover  of  the  Liturgy. 

I  have  seen  nothing  more  curious  than  the  con- 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  17 

trast  in  appearance  between  certain  two  prominent 
aspirants  for  the  Presidential  chair.  They  look  as 
if  they  belonged  to  different  worlds.  The  one,  with 
his  floating  gray  hair  claims  the  epithet  venerable, — 
perhaps  neither  of  the  candidates  would  be  satisfied 
with  that  term. 

This  evening  an  Indian  came  to  an  officer  at  our 
lodgings  on  business.  We  clustered  round  him.  He 
was  a  Chief  of  the  Chippewa  tribe  from  Michigan, 
dressed  in  a  rich  and  becoming  costume,  with  broad 
silver  belts  round  his  arms  and  wrists,  large,  glittering 
silver  ear-rings,  and  scarlet  trimmings.  He  has  re- 
cently  returned  from  England.  He  went  out  with  six 
of  his  tribe,  and  three  died  of  the  small-pox,  among 
them  his  wife  and  nephew.  He  told  us  that  she 
was  buried  in  London,  and  that  a  grave-stone  with  her 
name  was  there.  He  came  to  Washington  to  nego- 
tiate about  the  lands  of  his  tribe.  Some  of  our  party 
asked  if  he  was  going  to  move  westward.  "  Cut 
head  off  first,"  was  his  reply  ;  and  he  laughed  so  long 
and  loud,  that  it  was  painful  to  hear  him. 
•  The  chief  topic  of  interest  in  the  senate  to-day 
was  the  memorial  from  Philadelphia,  requesting  Con- 
gress  to  acknowledge,  at  as  early  a  period  as  possible, 
the  independence  of  Texas  ;  and  this  brought  out  a 
varied  play  of  character  in  the  ardent  Preston,  the 
dignified  Webster,  Judge  Porter  of  Louisiana  with  his 
keen  and  happy  humour,  Mr.  ***  with  his  old  combi- 
nation  of  set  words  and  high-flown  figures,  and  Mr. 
Buchanan  and  Mr.  Shepley,  with  less  striking  cha- 
racteristics, but  still  all  marked. 
2* 


18      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

In  the  House  was  a  discussion  of  the  Exploring 
Expedition,  in  which  Reynolds  has  been  so  long  in- 
terested.  I  consider  myself  happy  in  having  heard 
Mr.  Phillips  of  Massachusetts,  in  a  lucid  and  elegant 
speech,  in  which  he  dwelt  with  great  eloquence  on 
the  character  of  the  merchant. 

MOUNT  VERNON. 

THE  fashionable  world  of  Washington  were  roll- 
ing  off  to  the  race-course  on  the  10th  of  May,  when 
we  started  for  Mount  Vernon.  The  sky  was  clear, 
and  nature  in  her  happiest  spring  garments.  The 
road  from  Washington  to  Alexandria  is  in  good  or- 
der,  but  the  scenery  not  particularly  attractive.  I 
think  the  distance  is  nine  miles.  No  one  wish- 
es to  linger  at  Alexandria,  except  he  should  meet, 
as  we  did,  an  old  resident  who  can  defend  warmly 
what  is  defensible,  and  show  the  few  interesting 
objects  to  be  seen  ;  indeed,  it  is  a  curious  step 
from  Alexandria  to  Mount  Vernon ;  the  one  teeming 
with  the  most  worldly  associations,  and  the  other 
sacred  to  the  highest  feelings  of  our  nature. 

The  road  to  Mount  Vernon  from  Alexandria  is  in- 
tolerably bad,  and  no  one  probably  passes  it  with- 
out thinking  before  he  arrives,  that  he  has  paid  too 
deaj  for  his  whistle  ;  but  once  place  your  foot  on 
that  mount,  and  if  a  spark  of  sensibility  is  within 
you,  it  begins  to  kindle ;  and  as  you  tread  on  the 
walks  which  Washington  planned,  as  you  gaze  on 
the  waters  of  the  Potomac,  where  his  eye  often  re- 
posed, as  you  note  the  green-house  where  his  noble 


NOTES    OP   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  19 

mind  loved  to  rest  with  nature  after  its  toils,  as  you 
see  the  books  in  his  library,  (that  spot  which  brings 
one  mind  so  near  to  another,)  and  remember  that  his 
hand  turned  the  pages  of  that  history  for  informa- 
tion, or  that  Bible  for  comfort,  as  you  see  the  christ- 
ening bowl  over  which  his  name  was  probably  pro- 
nounced, and  his  young  spirit  dedicated  to  God,  and 
then  turn  to  the  spot  where  rest  his  remains,  and 
fancy  that  spirit  matured,  glorified,  a  partner  of  an- 
gels,  a  glow,  such  as  is  only  known  in  a  few  precious 
golden  moments  of  existence,  is  felt  rushing  over 
your  soul,  touching  an  electric  chain  from  the  far 
past  to  the  endless  future. 

And  yet  sadness  follows,  for  decay  is  on  that  spot ; 
the  summer-house  is  a  ruin,  and  the  rest  of  the  esta- 
blishment would  be,  did  not  some  members  of  the 
family,  at  a  considerable  sacrifice  of  time  and  ex- 
pense, reside  there  a  few  months  of  the  year,  to  pre- 
serve it  from  the  depredations  of  visitersa.nd  natural 
decay.  The  soil  is  too  unproductive  to  render  the 
place  an  object  of  pecuniary  consideration.  J 

The  dwelling-house  had  originally  four  small  rooms 
on  a  floor,  but  General  Washington  added  a  dining 
hall  of  handsome  dimensions  and  finish.  Too  much 
of  the  old  furniture  is  removed  ;  it  would  have  been 
in  good  taste  to  have  allowed  at  least  one  room  to 
remain  as  it  was  at  his  death.  1  wish  Congress 
would  superintend  the  spot,  and  by  requests  and  re- 
wards get  back  as  much  as  possible  of  what  was 
once  there. 

I  have  conversed  with  several  of  the  Washington 


20  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

statesmen  about  Mount  Vernon.  One  seemed  to 
think  it  might  be  bought  if  the  family  did  not  ask 
too  much  for  it,  and  be  kept  as  a  kind  of  national 
show,  and  support  itself!  One  was  for  having  it  the 
Congressional  burying-ground,  with  the  proposed 
monument  towering  on  its  heights.  One  thought  it 
should  remain  in  the  family  of  Washington  while  the 
name  lasts,  and  that  Congress  should  make  an  appro- 
priation for  its  preservation,  and  appoint  keepers  to 
superintend  it,  but  most  of  them  shake  their  heads, 
and  think  that  nothing  can  be  done  just  now.  Oh, 
what  a  burning  indignation  will  be  felt  by  and  by 
against  this  generation,  when  that  summer-house 
which  Washington  erected,  does  totter  to  the  ground, 
when  that  green-house  no  longer  presents  a  relic  of 
his  taste,  when  those  walks  where  his  feet  trod  are 
covered  with  the  wild  grass,  and  the  walls  which 
sheltered  him,  decay  and  fall. 

Any,  stranger  can  visit  the  ground : — to  see  the 
dwelling-house,  you  must  send  in  a  card,  and  a  letter 
of  introduction  of  course  is  necesary  for  an  admis- 
sion to  the  family.  Nothing  could  be  more  cour- 
teous than  our  reception  ;  and  the  gentle,  and  grace- 
ful, and  dignified  lady  who  presides  there,  mingles  hap- 
pily in  our  associations  with  the  memory  of  him  who 
has  sanctified  the  scene. 

***** 

Washington  private  parties  are  like  all  others. 
Delightful  conversation  is  interrupted  by  delightful 
music,  and  delightful  music  drowned  by  delightful 
conversation,  so  that  neither  can  be  enjoyed;  just  as 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  21 

one  begins  to  feel  the  mental  pulse  of  a  great  man, 
another  is  brought  to  be  introduced  ;  just  as  you  are 
scanning  the  pretty  face  of  a  belle,  or  the  stronger 
features  of  a  blue,  the  throng  drives  and  sunders  you  ; 
now  and  then  a  roar  of  laughter  from  some  quarter 
tells  you  that  a  joke  is  going  on,  which  you  are  too 
far  off  to  hear,  and  as  you  see  the  ice-cream  just 
within  your  reach,  it  is  whirled  away  :  when  the  Ba- 
bel sounds  are  at  their  height,  you  wonder  why  you 
have  nothing  to  say,  and  on  looking  round  find  many 
just  as  idle  starers  : — you  begin  to  think  of  home, 
and  a  rocking-chair,  and  repose,  and  so  good-night 
and  away. 

But  the  charm  of  Washington  is  its  small  parties ; 
there  mind  pours  itself  out  in  its  beautiful  and  strong 
varieties.  No  lassitude  is  felt,  for  the  ever-flowing 
wave  of  novelty  brings  its  daily  supplies,  refreshing 
and  adding  to  the  soil  of  thought.  I  may  some- 
times have  been  disappointed  at  the  Capitol,  some- 
times in  mixed  society,  but  never  in  social  inter- 
course ;  and  it  is  worth  a  pilgrimage  to  hear  the 
rich,  dispassionate  flow  of  talk  in  ***,  whose  elegant 
mind  misfortune  has  touched  but  not  broken ;  the 
varied,  illustrative,  classical,  playful  strain  of  ***, 
whose  heart  is  on  his  lips,  but  whose  heart  never  so 
far  precedes  his  head  as  not  to  show  you  how  long 
that  is  ;  with  the  deep  reflecting  views  of  ***,  who 
forces  you  to  think,  and  who  seems  to  have  an  in- 
tellectual  diving-bell,  with  which  he  looks  clearly 
at  objects  not  even  seen  by  the  common  eye.  Then 
there  is  our  Irish  senator,  the  Congressional  Demo- 


22      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

critus,  whose  jests  in  private  are  sunbeams,  but 
in  the  senate  chamber  are  to  his  opponents  sun- 
beams radiating  from  steel — these,  and  many  more, 
infuse  a  life  into  conversation  untouched  in  variety 
elsewhere.  I  am  absolutely  jealous  at  a  large 
Washington  party,  of  the  intellectual  waste  ;  not  so 
in  small  circles,  where  mind  acts  directly  on  mind, 
and  every  thought  is  treasured. 

BALTIMORE. 

Washington  is  behind  us — its  beautiful  Capitol, 
on  which  the  eye  lingers  in  unsated  admiration,  has 
faded  away ;  as  we  leave  it  the  heart  is  full — the 
mind  is  full.  Great  and  elevating  scenes,  farewell  ; 
new  and  tender  friends,  farewell ;  a  stranger  has 
fed  on  your  thousand  flowers,  and  has  borne  away 
the  hive  of  memory,  overflowing  with  honied  stores  ! 

As  we  entered  the  rail-road  car,  an  old  man  took 
his  seat  in  front  of  us,  dressed  in  homespun,  with  a 
miserable  hat,  sun-burnt  face,  a  chaw  of  tobacco  in 
his  mouth,  and  two  soiled  bundles  in  his  hand.  I 
shrank  instinctively  from  the  contact,  and  dreaded  two 
hours'  intercourse  with  such  a  low-looking  creature  ; 
it  even  occurred  to  me  that  there  ought  to  be  a  se- 
parate car  for  well  and  ill-dressed  people.  After  a 
while  he  took  out  an  old  leather  pocket-book,  and 
among  a  few  other  loose  papers,  unfolded  one  which 
had  the  seal  and  signature  of  Lewis  Cass  ;  and  as 
my  eye  ran  over  the  plain  printing,  I  perceived  that 
it  was  the  pension  certificate  of  Edward  Dennis  of 
Maryland,  a  revolutionary  soldier.  What  a  change 


NOTES    OP    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  23 

came  over  him  !  There  was  the  difference  to  me 
in  his  countenance  of  Moses  when  he  ascended  and 
descended  the  mount — a  glory  was  around  him ! 

The  old  man  turned  the  paper  over  and  over, 
read  it  and  re-read  it.  He  wanted  sympathy. 

"  This  is  worth  a  long  journey,"  said  he  at  length, 
showing  it  to  a  passenger  near  him  ;  "  four  hundred 
dollars  down,  and  eighty  dollars  a-year,  for  a  man 
seventy-eight  years  old  ;"  and  he  took  out  the  bills 
from  the  pocket-book,  and  a  large  handful  of  Gene- 
ral Jackson's  shiners  from  his  waistcoat. 

I  longed  to  give  him  my  purse  to  put  his  money 
in,  but  was  ashamed  ;  my  hand  was  on  it,  but  I 
drew  it  back  ;  it  will  look  too  sentimental,  I  thought. 

"  Why  have  you  not  applied  for  a  pension  be- 
fore  ?"  said  the  passenger  to  whom  he  had  showed 
the  bond. 

The  old  man  smiled.  "  Because  I  didn't  want  it. 
You  wouldn't  have  had  me  ask  for  it  'till  I  wanted 
it,  would  ye  ?" 

A  gentleman,  whose  name,  if  I  dared  to  give  it, 
would  lend  a  new  interest  to  this  little  narrative,  a 
New  England  man,  but  one  who  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  the  South,  was  reading.  I  whispered  to  him  the 
character  of  our  fellow-traveller,  and  he  laid  down 
his  book. 

After  a  while  the  old  man  took  it  up  and  read, 
without  glasses,  two  or  three  pages  with  apparent 
interest. 

"  How  much  might  you  have  given  for  this  book  ?" 
said  he  to  the  owner. 


24  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

"  I  shall  think  it  a  cheap  purchase,"  was  the  re- 
ply, "  if  an  old  soldier  of  the  Revolution  will  accept 
it ;"  and  taking  out  his  pencil,  he  wrote — 

"  Presented  to  Edward  Dennis,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  by  one  who  is  now  reaping  the  fruits  of 
his  bravery." 

The  old  man  smiled  as  he  received  the  book, 
turned  it,  looked  at  its  cover,  then  within  ;  and  tak- 
ing the  pencil  from  the  hand  of  the  giver,  wrote  in 
fair  characters  the  name  which  he  saw  on  the  first 
leaf.  But  after  all  he  could  not  realise  that  it  was 
a  gift,  and,  as  his  pockets  were  overflowing,  he  took 
out  a  dollar. 

"  No,  no,  my  good  friend,"  said  the  giver,  "  put 
it  up  ;"  and  in  a  lower  voice  added,  "  don't  you  show 
your  money  to  any  body  again  but  your  wife." 

"  No  more  I  wont,"  said  the  old  man  understand- 
ing^- 

Repeatedly,  during  the  excursion,  he  gave  the 
book,  inside  and  outside,  the  same  long,  pleased  look 
with  which  he  had  received  it. 

We  reached  Baltimore  on  its  noble  rail-road, 
when  one,  whose  elegant  and  varied  conversation 
had  made  two  hours  seem  as  moments,  and  the  old 
soldier,  with  his  treasure,  went  on  their  opposite 
ways. 

One  cannot  but  be  struck,  coming  from  the  South, 
with  the  appearance  of  the  bricks  in  this  noble  and 
growing  city.  The  texture  is  as  fine  and  smooth  as 
plaster  of  Paris,  and  the  colour  has  peculiar  fresh- 
ness. The  prevailing  idea  of  English  travellers  be- 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.       25 

gins  to  strike  me  of  how  new  every  thing  looks. 
The  square  on  which  the  Washington  Monument  is 
erected,  will  be  an  ornament  of  which  the  Baltimore- 
ans  may  be  proud.  The  fountains  should  be  an  ob- 
ject of  imitation  in  our  more  Southern  cities ;  the 
very  sound  is  refreshing ;  and  I  loved  to  see  the 
thirsty  and  weary  go  down  the  marble  steps  and  en- 
joy the  common  though  priceless  blessing  of  a  draught 
of  water.  The  fountain  in  Calvert  street  is  pictu- 
resque. Over  it  is  a  temple  of  classic  proportions,  and 
behind  it  a  grassy  spot,  shaded  with  trees,  where 
children  find  a  cool  retreat.  At  one  of  the  markets, 
and  perhaps  at  others,  is  a  fountain  perpetually  flow- 
ing,  which,  though  not  particularly  ornamental,  has 
a  pure  and  cooling  aspect,  and  is  particularly  useful 
in  that  location. 

I  attended  Vespers  at  St.  Mary's  Chapel,  which 
is  connected  with  the  College.  The  building  is  small, 
but  exquisitely  proportioned  in  the  Gothic  style. 
The  Cathedral  may  be  to  others  more  gorgeous  and 
imposing,  but  give  me  St.  Mary's  Chapel.  We  en- 
tered  as  the  last  glories  of  the  setting  sun,  shining 
through  the  Gothic  windows,  revealed  its  fair  propor- 
tions. Several  young  girls  went  one  by  one  to  con- 
fession, whije  a  priest  dressed  the  altar  with  natural 
flowers.  Then  rose  the  Vesper  hymn.  Beautiful 
temple !  the  differing  forms  which  guide  my  spi- 
ritual worship,  did  not  prevent  me  from  joining  in 
the  hymn  which  rose  to  the  Deity  in  that  sunset  hour, 
beneath  thy  arch. 

The  Cathedral  did  not  satisfy  me.  My  imagina- 
3 


26  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

tion  is  too  busy  with  its  fancies  of  the  gorgeousness 
of  European  churches.  The  very  word  Cathedral 
brings  thoughts  to  my  mind  that  America  cannot 
realize.  The  Independent  Church,  on  the  contrary, 
from  the  usual  simplicity  of  that  denomination,  sur- 
prised me  by  its  elaborate  workmanship.  Yet  the 
Cathedral  is  really  magnificent  to  an  eye  accustom- 
ed to  the  plain  churches  of  America.  The  decora, 
tions  are  rich,  and  the  dimensions  imposing.  I  was 
somewhat  disappointed  in  the  pictures ;  only  one  of 
them  equalled  my  expectations,  though  I  say  this  with 
no  pretensions  high  to  connoisseurship.  I  know 
more  than  one  friend  in  Charleston  who  would  have 
given  anything  for  the  beautiful  natural  tulips  that  de- 
corated the  altars.  The  temptation  was  strong  to 
have  stolen  and  sent  them  a  bunch  or  two,  and  to 
make  one's  confession  afterward. 

The  ruins  occasioned  by  the  mob  are  stilt  visible 
here,  a  sad  degrading  relic  of  human  passion.  When 
we  count  up  our  blessings  further  South,  let  our  ex- 
emption from  this  evil  never  be  forgotten. 

A  rainy  day  has  given  me  an  opportunity  of 
looking  over  a  well-filled  private  library.  I  do  not 
own  the  old  British  poets,  and  therefore  seize  on 
them  when  an  opportunity  occurs.  I  cannot  re- 
frain from  copying  the  following  lines  from  Byrom, 
a  poet  born  in  1691,  and  commending  them  equally  to 
the  sedentary  occupant  of  a  rocking-chair,  the  busy 
housewife,-  or  the  curious  traveller.  They  speak  of 
truth  and  duty  to  all,  and  I  would  advise  the  young  to 
commit  them  to  memory. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      27 

ARMELLE  NICHOLAS'S  ACCOUNT  OF  HERSELF. 

{Selected  from  the  Poems  of  John  Byrom.) 

To  the  God  of  my  love,  in  the  morning,  said  she, 
Like  a  child  to  its  parent  when  waking  I  flee  ; 
With  a  longing  to  serve  him,  and  please  him,  I  rise, 
And  before  him  kneel  down,  as  if  seen  by  his  eyes: 
I  resign  myself  up  to  his  absolute  will, 
Which  I  beg  that  in  me  he  would  always  fulfil ; 
That  the  prayers  of  the  day,  by  whomever  preferred, 
For  the  good  of  each  soul,  may  be  also  thus  heard. 

If  obliged  to  attend  to  some  household  affair, 

I  have  scarce  so  much  time  as  to  say  the  Lord's  prayer. 

This  gives  me  no  trouble  ;  my  dutiful  part 

Is  obedience  to  him,  whom  I  have  at  my  heart, 

As  well  at  my  work,  as  retiring  to  pray, 

And  his  love  does  not  suffer  in  mine  a  decay ; 

He  has  taught  me  himself,  that  a  work  which' I  do 

For  his  sake,  is  a  prayer  very  real  and  true. 

I  dress  in  his  presence,  and  learn  to  confess 

That  his  provident  kindness  supplies  me  with  dress  ; 

In  the  midst  of  all  outward  employment  I  find 

A  conversing  with  him  of  an  intimate  kind : 

How  sweet  is  the  labour !  his  loving  regard 

So  supporting  one's  mind,  that  it  thinks  nothing  hard ; 

While  the  limbs  are  at  work,  in  the  seeking  to  please 

So  belov'd  a  companion  the  mind  is  at  ease. 

In  his  presence  I  eat,  and  I  drink,  and  reflect 
How  food  of  his  gift  is  the  growing  effect ; 
How  his  love  to  my  soul  is  so  great,  and  so  good, 
Just  as  if  it  were  fed  with  his  own  flesh  and  blood ; 
What  a  virtue  this  feeder — his  meat  and  his  drink — 
Has  to  kindle  one's  heart,  I  must  leave  you  to  think; 
He  alone  can  express  it,  no  language  of  mine, 
Were  my  life  spent  in  speaking,  could  ever  define. 


28      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

When,  perhaps  by  bad  usage,  or  weariness  prest, 

I  myself  am  too  apt  to  be  fretful  at  best, 

Love  shows  me,  forthwith,  how  I  ought  to  take  heed 

Not  to  nurse  the  least  anger  by  word  or  by  deed ; 

And  he  sets  such  a  watch  at  the  door  of  my  lips, 

That  of  hasty  cross  words  there  is  nothing  that  slips  j 

Such  irregular  passions  as  seek  to  surprise, 

Are  crushed  and  are  conquered  as  soon  as  they  rise. 

Or  if  e'er  I  give  place  to  a  humour  so  bad, 
My  mind  has  no  rest  till  forgiveness  be  had  ; 
I  confess  all  my  faults,  as  if  he  had  not  known, 
And  my  peace  is  renewed  by  a  goodness  his  own, 
In  a  manner  so  free,  as  if  after  my  sin. 
More  strongly  confirmed  than  before  it  had  been  ; 
By  a  mercy  so  tender  my  heart  is  reclaimed, 
And  the  more  to  love  him  by  its  failing  inflamed. 

Sometimes  I  perceive  that  he  hideth  his  face, 
And  I  seem  like  a  person  deprived  of  his  grace, 
Then  I  say — "Tis  no  matter,  altho'  thou  conceal 
Thyself  as  thou  pleasest,  I'll  keep  to  my  zeal  ; 
I'll  love  thee,  and  serve  thee,  however  this  rod 
May  be  sent  to  chastise,  for  I  know  thou  art  God  ; 
And  with  more  circumspection  I  stand  upon  guard, 
Till  of  such  a  great  blessing  no  longer  debarred. 

But  suff'ring  so  deep  having  taught  me  to  try 
What  I  am  in  my  self-hood,  I  learn  to  rely 
More  firmly  on  him  who  was  phased  to  endure 
The  severest  extremes,  to  make  way  for  our  cure : 
To  conform  to  his  pattern,  as  love  shall  see  fit, 
My  faith  in  the  Saviour  resolves  to  submit ; 
For  no  more  than  myself  (if  the  word  may  go  free) 
Can  live  without  him,  can  he  help  loving  me. 

Well  assured  of  his  goodness,  I  pass  the  whole  day, 
And  my  work,  hard  or  easy,  is  felt  as  a  play ; 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      29 

I  am  thankful  in  feelings,  but  pleasure  or  smart, 

It  is  rather  himself  that  I  love  in  my  heart. 

When  they  urge  me  to  mirth,  I  think,  O  !  were  it  known, 

How  I  meet  the  best  company  when  I'm  alone ! 

To  my  dear  fellow-creatures,  what  ties  me  each  hour, 

Is  the  love  of  my  God  to  the  best  of  my  power. 

At  the  hour  of  night  when  I  go  to  my  rest, 
I  repose  on  his  love  like  a  child  at  the  breast ; 
And  a  sweet  peaceful  silence  invites  me  to  keep 
Contemplating  him,  to  my  dropping  asleep : 
Many  times  a  good  thought,  by  its  gentle  delight, 
Has  withheld  me  from  sleep  a  good  part  of  the  night, 
In  adoring  his  love,  that  continues  to  share 
To  a  poor  wretched  creature,  so  special  a  care.  . 

This,  after  my  heart  was  converted  at  last, 

Is  the  life  I  have  led  for  these  twenty  years  past : 

My  love  is  not  changed,  and  my  innermost  peace, 

Tho'  it  ever  seemed  full,  has  gone  on  to  increase. 

'Tis  an  infinite  love  that  has  filled  me,  and  fed 

My  still  rising  hunger  to  eat  of  its  bread, 

So  satisfied  still,  as  if  such  an  excess 

Could  have  nothing  more  added  than  what  I  possess. 

No  one  should  leave  Baltimore  without  a  tribute 
to  Page's  admirable  hofel ;  next  to  the  private,  do- 
mestic kindness  which  fell  to  our  happy  share,  I 
should  commemorate  Page's. 

As  I  parted  from  Baltimore,  I  felt  a  desire  to  know 
more  of  the  place,  and  of  the  intelligent  minds  that 
direct  its  growing  powers. 


30          NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

PHILADELPHIA. 

There  is  nothing  particularly  interesting  in  the 
route  to  Philadelphia  ;  one  passes  along  in  the  luxu- 
rious ease  of  steam  travelling,  scarcely  sensible  on 
the  level  way  of  any  transition.  One  interesting  hu- 
man object  attracted  me  in  the  boat, — a  Quaker  lady 
of  the  old  school.  Her  cheerful  and  intelligent  look 
and  conversation,  her  peculiar  attire,  and,  more  than 
all,  her  benevolent  smile,  drew  my  attention.  By 
a  curious  likeness,  however,  this  Quakeress  of  sixty 
years,  in  her  drab  silk  and  close  hat,  was  associated 
in  my  mind  with  the  belle  at  Washington — their 
sleeves  and  mits  were  cut  in  precisely  the  same  man. 
ner  ;  thus  fashion  turns  round  the  wheel,  and  causes 
extremes  to  meet. 

I  missed  the  lofty  forest  trees  of  South  Carolina 
in  Maryland  and  Delaware,  and  there  is  on  the  mail 
route,  at  present,  no  well-stored  farms  or  attractive 
country-seats  to  supply  the  deficiency.  There  is  an 
air  of  sterility  in  the  soil,  and  no  clustering  vine  or 
waving  moss  conceals  it  with  its  graceful  drapery. 

Pennsylvania  was  attained.  I  cast,  in  passing,  an 
enthusiastic  glance  at  the  waters  of  the  Susquehanna, 
and  dreams  of  Wyoming,  and  snatches  of  Campbell's 
exquisite  poem,  rushed  across  my  thoughts. 

The  pictures  along  the  way  gradually  brightened, 
the  beautiful  city  of  friends  appeared.  It  was  no 
mere  name.  The  welcome  hand  of  friendship  was  ex- 
tended as  we  stept  on  its  busy  wharves. 

My  first  curiosity,  when  I  enter  a  new  city,  is  to 
see  what  supports  and  characterises  it.  At  Wash- 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      31 

ington,  I  looked  for  statesmen  ;  at  Alexandria  I 
sought  not,  my  olfactory  nerves  at  once  pronounced 
fish  to  be  the  great  commercial  lever ;  at  Baltimore, 
I  visited  the  Roman  Catholic  institutions ;  when  I 
go  to  Lynn,  in  Massachusetts,  I  shall  ask  for  shoes 
— at  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  I  shall  feel  bound, 
though  I  abhor  them,  to  taste  onions ;  of  course,  at 
Philadelphia  my  first  inquiry  was  for  Quakers  and 
Schuylkill  water. 

And  delightful  it  was  to  me  to  see  the  Quakers. 
I  involuntarily  changed  my  Southern  gait  to  a 
shorter  and  trimmer  step,  I  squared  my  shoulders, 
and  kept  my  countenance  straight  forward  ;  I  did 
more,  I  looked  into  my  heart,  and  asked  if  that  was 
pure ;  I  laid  closer  over  it  the  folds  of  humility  ;  I 
brushed  away  the  dust  of  world liness,  I  sheathed  the 
weapons  of  carnal  passions,  and  put  on  spiritual  gar- 
ments. And  in  the  same  spirit,  after  a  draught  of 
pure  water,  rendered  more  delicious  by  the  ice  of  the 
Schuylkill,  I  visited  Fair  Mount,*  and  rejoiced  like 
another  Undine  in  its  waterfalls  and  fountains,  and 
felt  how  the  river  was  like  God's  spirit,  spreading 
somewhere  at  first  in  unattainable  beauty,  then  car- 
ried  through  the  dark  channels  of  human  life,  seem- 
ingly lost  until  man  inquires  and  strives  for  it,  and 
then  breaking  out  in  new  modifications,  pouring  its 
blessings  on  all  who  ask,  and  they  are  glad. 

*  At  this  spot  is  the  reservoir  which  furnishes  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  city  with  water  in  the  second  stories  of  their  build- 
ings. 


32      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

I  am  most  grateful  for  beauty  in  all  its  forms. 
Had  I  been  carried  blindfold  to  the  machinery  at  Fair 
Mount,  and  then  permitted  to  behold  it  alone,  I 
should  have  been  agreeably  excited  by  its  singular 
combination  of  simplicity  and  power ;  its  wheels 
would  have  rolled  on  awhile  in  my  memory,  I  should 
have  paid  the  usual  tribute  of  wonder  to  man's  in- 
genuity,  and  have  dreamt  of  those  iron  arms  that 
seem  so  human  in  their  operations  ;  but  now  that 
I  have  gazed  on  the  placid  river,  marked  the  shaded 
green  of  its  beautiful  borders,  seen  the  sculptured 
images  awaking  graceful  associations,  stood  by  the 
clear  basin  and  felt  a  longing  like  youth  to  rush  in  and 
stand  under  its  showery  fountain,  heard  the  roar  of 
the  giant  Art  contending  with  and  counteracting 
the  giant  Nature,  climbed  the  precipitous  eminence, 
and  watched  the  setting  sun  throwing  his  golden 
smile  on  all,  this  leaves  a  deeper  stamp — the  stamp 
of  the  beautiful ;  and  as  I  feel  now  the  cool  elements 
on  my  hands,  or  taste  its  freshness,  I  am  carried 
back  to  that  scene  on  the  Schuylkill. 

My  knowledge  of  Wm.  Penn  is  just  awakened  ;  to 
be  sure  I  have  seen  him  in  geographies  and  histories, 
or  rather,  I  have  seen  a  coat  with  stiff  skirts  and  a 
broad-brimmed  hat ;  but  now  the  spirit  of  Wm.  Penn 
is  around  and  above  me,  not  divested,  I  confess,  of 
the  hat  and  coat ;  he  is  still  a  Quaker,  but  colossal, 
and  the  skirts  of  his  drab  garment  sweep  over  this 
great  city. 

The  Philadelphians  are  now  ornamenting  public 
squares  laid  out  by  him,  so  distant  from  the  original 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  33 

seat  of  business,  that  none  but  his  prophetic  mind 
could  have  dared  to  stretch  so  far  :  and  yet  popula- 
tion has  reached  them,  and  in  a  year  or  two  their 
shade  will  refresh  and  beautify  the  bustling  scene. 

I  cannot  but  regret  the  deficiency  of  public  walks 
in  Charleston.  Is  it  not  possible,  before  the  spirit  of 
utility  (if  utility  has  a  spirit)  claims  every  thing  for 
her  own  in  our  fair  city,  to  appropriate  in  various 
parts  of  it  some  spots  to  verdure  and  shade,  where  our 
children  can  revel  amidst  glimpses  of  nature,  instead 
of  struggling  through  King-Street  for  sugar-plums 
and  ice-creams  ?  Our  City  Square,  perfect  as  it  is,  is 
limited,  and  too  public.  We  want  our  Battery  en- 
larged, shaded,  and  decorated.  It  has  all  the  elements 
of  natural  beauty.  The  avenue  from  Broad  Street 
might  be  rendered  picturesque,  and  a  lot  appropriated 
there  for  a  public  square.  Mazyckboro'  affords 
points  of  great  attraction,  but  a  stroke  from  the  stiff 
skirt  of  Wm.  Penn  has  just  touched  my  fingers,  and 
reminds  me  that  I  am  a  humble,  inquiring  traveller, 
and  not  a  dictator  at  home.* 

Water  is  a  delicious  element,  but  man  wants  some- 
thing else  ;  so  I  went  to  the  Mint,  to  see  that  which 
cannot,  however,  always  command  the  precious  ele- 
ment. This  is  a  perfectly  Philadelphian  building,  so 
chaste  and  elegant.  I  felt  at  first,  when  I  saw  the 
steam  machines  spitting  out  their  gold  and  silver 

*  These  suggestions  have  been  already  anticipated  by  the 
City  Council  of  Charleston,  who  are  adopting  measures  to 
have  them  sooner  or  later  realized. 


34  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

coins,  somewhat  of  the  same  elasticity  and  glee  that 
I  did  at  the  exploits  of  the  Water  Goddess  at  Fair 
Mount.  Creation  is  the  charm,  whether  it  be  of  an 
atom  or  a  mountain. 

But  one  turns  moralist  very  rapidly  over  bushels 
of  silver  and  gold  which  one  cannot  touch.  Divers 
forgotten  texts  of  the  Psalmist  came  to  my  memory, 
and  I  walked  down  the  steps,  as  Colderige  says  "  an 
altered  man." 

On  the  banks  of  the  river  is  a  garden  called  Le- 
mon Hill,  which  the  proprietor  has  loaned  for  charit- 
able purposes  for  a  year.  It  is  fancifully  arranged, 
though  going  to  decay ;  a  cavern, — a  grotto, — sum- 
mer houses, — seats  formed  in  trees,  &c.  lend  an 
agreeable  variety  to  the  scene.  A  carved  modern 
Cerberus,  which  is  a  dog  with  one  head  instead  of 
fifty  or  three,  guards  the  cave ;  within  the  grotto  is 
a  cool  spring ;  the  arbors  are  gay  with  flowers,  the 
walks  smooth  and  shady ;  the  views  from  the  man- 
sion picturesque;  and  when  one  has  done  with  reverie, 
or  sentiment,  or  abuse,  or  whatever  may  be  the  calling 
of  his  intellectual  nature,  his  outer  man  may  be  re- 
freshed with  ice-creams  and  cakes,  in  rooms  comfort, 
ably  arranged,  small  ones  for  the  few  to  pour  out 
their  social  communings,  or  more  capacious  ones 
for  the  many  to  gaze  and  speculate.  If  the  travel- 
ler should  be  asked  to  dine  in  the  city,  and  half  for- 
getting the  good  cheer,  be  carried  away  by  high  and 
exciting  discussion  with  some  full  fraught  minds, 
and  wish  to  come  down  gently  to  his  common  level, 
let  him  go  with  a  friend  to  the  sparkling  beauties  of 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.       35 

Fair  Mount,  or  the  retirement  of  Lemon  Garden,  and 
come  home  cooled  and  refreshed  to  his  Mocha  or 
Souchong. 

I  had  an  odd  sensation  in  visiting  the  Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  that  Pool  of  Bethesda,  where  Charity  stands 
to  heal  the  suffering,  and  where  the  unfortunate  sub- 
jects  of  insanity  are  treated  with  so  much  humanity, 
skill,  and  success.  I  fancied  that  every  body  was 
crazy.  The  sober  and  polite  gentleman  who  super- 
intends the  medical  library,  the  respectable  and 
willing  attendant  who  showed  us  the  building,  and 
the  visitors  fresh  from  the  every-day  affairs  of  Ches- 
nut-Street,  or  the  Exchange,  were  objects  of  suspicion 
to  me.  I  half  shrank  when  they  approached  me. 
I  am  not  aware  whether  this  is  a  common  feeling. 

The  patients  are  wisely  kept  from  observation ;  a 
few  of  the  gentle  and  happy  only  go  at  large.  A 
passing  glance  is  enough  to  tell  the  inquirer  that  all 
must  be  right  in  this  institution,  as  far  as  human 
sagacity  can  plan,  and  that  the  poor  victims  of  the 
sad  infliction  of  insanity  are  every  way  more  comfort- 
able than  when  subjected  to  the  irregular  habits  of 
home.  I  was  allowed  to  look  into  the  room  of  a 
Frenchman,  whose  sole  comfort  is  in  reading  and 
writing.  He  has  a  collection  of  favorite  books,  and 
thrusts  his  writings  upon  us. 

As  we  were  going  through  the  kitchen,  the  neat- 
ness  of  which  is  remarkable,  my  attention  was  ar- 
rested by  a  smiling  looking  personage,  who  was 
boasting  that  he  had  just  crossed  the  Red  Sea  with 
the  Israelites ;  as  we  passed  him,  he  took  off  his  hat, 


36  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

and  said,  bowing  profoundly,  "  the  ladies  were  allow- 
ed  to  go  over  first." 

The  insane  are  to  be  moved  to  a  building  devoted 
exclusively  to  them.  Every  thing  is  as  exact  and 
neat  in  the  apartments  of  the  sick,  as  if  affection 
had  trodden  with  gentle  footsteps  around  the  suffer- 
ers  and  smoothed  their  pillows.  I  left  the  spot  with 
a  full  heart,  and  felt  that  I  had  been  to  the  gate  of 
the  temple  which  should  be  called  Beautiful. 

The  scene  changes  now,  and  I  am  at  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb  Asylum,  where  the  "  unruly  member,"  that 
riots  in  a  Lunatic  Hospital,  is  chained.  These  are 
institutions  which  vitally  affect  the  human  race ; 
the  moralist  may  own  with  a  sigh  the  inutility  of 
teachings  which,  as  youth  never  learns  but  from  ex- 
perience, affect  only  individuals,  and  cannot  .reform 
a  world  ;  but  these  practical  efforts  are  seen  and  felt 
throughout  the  constitution  of  society.  Five  girls, 
and  an  equal  number  of  boys,  were  exercised  in  trans- 
ferring  each  other's  thoughts,  conveyed  by  motions 
of  the  hands,  to  the  black  board  ;  the  ease  with  which 
they  communicate  their  ideas,  the  accuracy  of  the 
spelling,  even  the  variations  of  expression,  while  all 
retain  the  same  thought,  the  rapidity  with  which 
they  conjugate  verbs,  compare  adjectives,  &c.  &c., 
are  singularly  interesting;  and  the  kindness  with 
which  they  aid  each  other  when  they  detect  inaccu- 
racies, was  not  lost  on  one,  who,  like  me,  considers 
an  affectionate  impulse  of  the  heart  worth  all  intel- 
lectual  treasures.  We  visited  the  sewing  hall,  which 
was  lined  with  happy  faces,  the  girls  being  employed 


NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  37 

in  making  various  useful  articles.  This  was  presid- 
ed over  by  a  Quaker  lady,  whose  pure  and  placid 
expression  seemed  a  guarantee  to  the  happiness  of 
the  pupils.  Placed  among  the  girls,  and  apparently 
a  pet,  was  a  grandson  of  Jefferson,  a  boy  of  great 
beauty  and  vivacity,  about  six  years  of  age. 

The  shoe-making  establishment  is  large,  and  many 
boys  were  industriously  occupied  in  it.  Two  rooms 
of  instruction  are  well  provided  with'  pictures,  charts, 
and  different  objects  adapted  to  enlarge  the  know- 
ledge of  the  pupils,  and  give  accurate  notions  of  gene- 
ral things  ;  for  instance,  small  phials  containing  va- 
rious kinds  of  grain,  rice,  camphor,  &c.  &c.  Then 
there  were  shells,  minerals,  a  chemical  apparatus,  and 
other  things  necessary  for  more  advanced  instruction. 
One  of  the  pupils  made  four  years  since  a  little 
steam  engine,  which  is  heated  by  spirits  of  wine ; 
a  track  is  laid  on  the  floor  of  two  rooms,  and  the 
Lilliputian  affair — 

. 
Walks  o'er  the  rail- way  like  a  thing  of  life. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  rapture  of  the  young 
spectators  as  with  increasing  velocity  it  darts  by 
with  its  little  hiss  and  splutter.  I  half  longed  to  at- 
tach a  car  full  of  dolls  to  it ;  I  entered  far  more  in- 
to the  spirit  of  its  size  than  into  its  more  important 
associations.  Most  of  the  floors  and  stairs  of  the 
Asylum  are  of  stone,  as  security  against  fire  ;  what 
boards  there  are,  are  exquisitely  white,  and  the  kitchen 
is,  in  neatness,  the  queen  of  kitchens. 

But  a  more  affecting  sight  to  «e  was  the  Institu- 


449764 


38  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

tion  for  the  Blind.  There  was  no  public  exhibition, 
but  a  private  visit,  with  an  order  from  a  superintend- 
ant,  furnished  us  with  a  much  more  favorable  view. 
When  I  think  of  those  sightless  orbs,  I  can  hardly 
realize  that  my  name,  which  I  now  see  so  neatly 
printed,  together  with  the  watch-guard  round  my 
neck,  in  which  I  can  detect  no  false  stitch,  is  their 
work.  After  we  entered,  the  teacher  asked  if  I 
would  like  to  have  my  name  printed  ;  on  my  answer- 
ing in  the  affirmative,  he  called  Mary  Ann  !  A  very 
pleasing  looking  girl  of  fifteen  groped  her  way  easi- 
ly to  the  table,  where  the  box  of  blocks  was  placed ; 
the  letters  are  pricked,  not  colored.  While  Mary 
Ann  was  forming  my  name,  she  held  a  kind  of  con- 
verse  with  the  blocks,  now  jesting,  now  scolding  if 
the  right  letter  did  not  meet  her  touch,  but  all  in  a 
low,  pleasant  tone.  The  name  was  completed  with- 
out mistake  in  a  few  minutes.  A  little  boy  spelt  at 
my  request,  and  Mary  Ann  was  next  called  to  read 
a  chapter  from  one  of  the  Gospels  in  raised  letters. 
She  reads  rapidly,  but  no  oratorical  tone  has  ever 
fallen  with  such  power  on  my  ears  as  the  words  of 
Jesus  from  the  lips  of  that  blind  girl.  The  teacher 
then  gave  out  arithmetical  questions  of  great  difficul- 
ty, which  he  himself  worked  on  the  black-board. 
Nothing  could  be  more  earnest  or  ambitious  than  the 
air  with  which  they  went  to  work  to  calculate,  or 
the  look  of  triumph  assumed  by  those  who  were  the 
quickest  or  the  most  successful.  At  this  period  their 
music  master  came.  There  was  great  eagerness 
and  interest  in  th%ir  manner,  and  many  a  sly  joke 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      39 

was  whispered.  They  began  with  a  German  chorus, 
each  part  nobly  sustained,  the  girls  remaining  in  one 
room  and  boys  in  the  other.  I  had  been  carried 
along  by  the  variety  and  interest  of  the  scene  up  to 
this  point,  not  a  little  aided  by  the  vivacity,  even 
drollery,  which  characterized  the  manners  of  many 
of  the  girls  ;  but  now  that  their  countenances  were 
fixed,  their  sightless  orbs  mostly  turned  upward,  and 
their  voices  swelling  in  a  rich  concert  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  my  tears  could  not  be  restrained ;  for- 
tunately  the  air  ceased,  and  one  of  Mary  Ann's  slily 
whispered  jokes  restored  me  to  self-possession.  After 
the  German,  followed  several  English  airs,  which 
again  were  succeeded  by  instrumental  music,  com- 
bining  violins,  clarionets,  flutes,  horns,  bassoon,  bass 
viol,  forming  in  all  a  really  grand  concert.  The  music 
being  over,  the  girls  separated,  and  we  visited  the 
sewkig  apartment,  where  4hey  began  to  collect,  go- 
ing  unaided  to  their  various  occupation^,  making 
rugs,  straw  baskets,  watch-guards,  bead-bags,  &c.  &c. 
As  we  descended  to  another  room,  we  found  Mary 
Ann  at  an  elegant  harp,  which  has  lately  been  pre- 
sented to  the  Institution  by  a  Philadelphian.  She 
was  very  shy,  but  consented  to  give  us  her  first 
tune  ;  another  young  lady  played  on  the  piano-forte. 
A  singular  thing  occurred  lately  in  the  Institution, 
which,  as  it  was  told  me,  a  stranger,  without  reser. 
vation,  I  may  relate.  A  young  man  and  girl,  both 
blind,  having  become  attached  to  each  other,  went 
out  of  town  secretly,  unaccompanied,  and  applied 
to  a  clergyman  to  marry  them.  The  youth  was  very 


40      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

prepossessing  in  his  appearance,  and  the  minister 
was  for  a  little  while  deceived.  At  length  his  suspi- 
cions being  roused,  he  said,  "You  are  Wind."  It 
could  not  be  denied  ;  and  looking  beneath  the  young 
lady's  bonnet,  he  found  her  in  the  same  predicament, 
and  of  course  declined  uniting  them.  They  were 
sent  from  the  Institution.  The  capacious  building 
which  is  now  in  progress,  will  probably  separate  the 
different  sexes  more  effectually  ;  but  Love,  though 
blind,  has  never  yet  been  prevented  from  finding 
hearts. 

The  Exchange  is  a  building,  imposing  in  size 
and  beautiful  in  architecture.  The  ceiling  is  in  fres- 
co, a  new  embellishment  in  our  country,  but  a  per- 
fect substitute  for  carving.  I  could  not  appreciate 
the  business-advantages  of  the  spot,  but  I  prayed  in 
my  heart  that  the  upright  spirit  of  Wm.  Penn  might 
be  nurtured  in  the  thousands  who  tread  that  marble 
pavement,*softening  the  hard  hand  of  thrift,  enlarging 
cunning's  crafty  eye,  and  blending  the  just  with  the 
essential. 

I  was  invited  by  the  venerable  and  urbane  Libra- 
rian of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  to  vi- 
sit the  rooms  of  that  Institution.  Among  other  at- 
tractive objects,  a  Carolinian's  attention  will  be  ar- 
rested by  the  Mexican  relics  presented  by  our  fellow- 
citizen,  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Esq.  forming  as  they  do  a 
conspicuous  group.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
things  to  me  is  a  likeness  of  William  Penn  before 
he  became  a  Quaker,  dressed  in  the  fashion  of  the 
time ;  but  Franldin  is  the  presiding  genius  there. 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  41 

I  felt  this  as  I  sat  in  his  chair,  gazed  on  his  mild 
countenance  in  the  various  revelations  of  the  artist, 
and  read  his  hand-writing,  carrying  as  it  does  in 
every  line  the  impress  of  his  mind.  State  interests 
will  probably  preclude  any  great  literary  or  scien- 
tific rallying-point  from  being  established  in  our 
Union;  but  this  Society, from  its  central  position  and 
its  connexion  with  the  memory  of  Franklin,  will  per- 
haps  long  lay  the  highest  claim  to  that  honor.  At 
the  suggestion  of  a  celebrated  female  foreigner,  the 
Librarian  keeps  a  book  where  literary  or  other  dis- 
tinguished visiters  insert  their  names. 

Not  the  least  attractive  part  of  the  intellectual  feast 
in  visiting  the  Society's  rooms  is  the  cheerful  old 
age  of  its  venerable  Librarian.  I  confess  my  thoughts 
often  wandered  from  the  curious  and  exciting  objects 
around  me,  and  dwelt  on  one  whose  intellectual  "  sun, 
or  light,  or  moon,  or  stars,"  at  this  advanced  period 
of  existence,  is  not  darkened.  Still  may  "the  silver 
cord"  of  his  life  be  strong,  and  the  "  golden  bowl" 
unbroken.  When  we  see  such  usefulness  and  phi- 
lanthropy, we  do  not  feel  that  "  all  is  vanity." 

I  have  attended  St.  Stephen's,  the  St.  Michael's 
of  this  city,  an  expression  that  may  imply  somewhat 
of  aristocracy  mingled  with  piety.  Here  the  ideal 
of  Episcopalianism  is  embodied,  where  form,  in  its 
most  perfect  and  approved  modes,  leads  the  worship, 
per  to  the  Deity ;  where  the  carved  columns  give 
classic  grace  to  the  temple  ;  where  the  delicately 
shaded  light  streams  through  the  stained  Gothic 
windows,  where  is  read  the  studied  Liturgy,  the  re- 
4* 


42  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

suit  of  thinking  minds  for  successive  years  ;  where 
the  organ  rises  in  architectural  grandeur,  and  scien- 
tific voices  are  trained  to  praise  ;  where  fashion 
treads  with  elastic  step  in  floating  veils  and  glowing 
flowers  ;  and  the  gay  and  the  great,  as  well  as  the 
poor  and  unhappy,  go  to  bow  body  and  soul  before 
the  decorated  shrine. 

I  have  attended  the  Independent  Church,  where 
the  simple  and  the  elegant  combine  in  architecture, 
where  are  heard  reasonings,  which  crown  the  spirit- 
ual heights  of  man's  intellectual  dominion,  and  ap- 
peals which  search  the  hidden  depths  of  his  nature ; 
where  the  throng  come  to  listen  and  to  admire, — 
perchance  to  feel  and  resolve ;  and  I  trust,  with  God's 
blessing,  to  repent  and  improve. 

And  I  have  attended  a  Quaker's  meeting.  "  Oh, 
when  the  spirit  is  sore  fretted,"  says  the  eloquent 
Charles  Lamb,  "  even  tired  to  sickness  of  the  jan- 
glings  and  nonsense- voices  of  the  world,  what  a  balm 
and  solace  it  is  to  go  and  seat  yourself,  for  a  quiet 
half  hour,  upon  some  undisputed  corner  of  a  bench 
among  the  gentle  Quakers  !  Their  garb  and  stillness 
conjoined,  present  an  uniformity,  tranquil  and  herd- 
like — as  in  a  pasture  — '  forty  feeding  like  one.' 
Wouldst  thou  be  alone,  and  yet  accompanied  ;  soli- 
tary, yet  not  desolate  ;  a  unit  in  aggregate  ;  a  simple 
in  composite  ; — come  with  me  into  a  Quaker's  meet- 
ing. What  is  the  stillness  of  the  desert  compared  to 
this  place  ?  What  the  uncommunicating  stillness  of 
fishes  ?  Dost  thoa  love  silence,  deep  as  that  '  before 
the  winds  were  made  ?'  Go  not  out  into  the  wilder- 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  43 

ness  ;  descend  not  into  the  profundities  of  the  earth  ; 
shut  not  up  thy  casements  ;  nor  pour  wax  into  the 
little  cells  of  thy  ears,  with  little-faith'd,  self-mistrust- 
ing  Ulysses.  Retire  with  me  into  a  Quaker's  Meet- 
ing." 

And  to  a  Quaker's  Meeting  1  went,  and  seated  my- 
self  on  the  straight,  hard  benches,  and  looked  around 
on  the  human  fixtures.  There  were  three  of  us  dress- 
ed  like  the  world's  people,  restless,  leaning  on  our  el- 
bows, trotting  our  feet,  playing  with  our  fingers.  I 
had  a  mind  to  have  slipped  off  my  gay  shawl  and 
thrown  it  under  the  seat,  and  I  tied  my  bonnet-string 
tighter,  that  I  might  shut  out  a  little  of  the  world,  and 
look  more  like  the  forms  before  me,  which  seemed  as  in- 
animate and  breathless  as  the  twenty-four  jugs  contain- 
ing human  beings  in  the  Arabian  Nights.  I  might 
have  pulled  off  a  dozen  shawls,  and  it  would  not  have 
moved  those  spiritual  posts,  those  quiet,  intellectual 
craters.  I  say  craters  ;  for  who  knows  not  that  pas- 
sion  is  not  crushed,  but  covered  by  that  outward  bear- 
ing— that  the  most  staid  Quaker  must  from  his  hu- 
man conformation  utter  groans  and  tears — that  the 
thunder  is  roaring  and  the  fire  raging  within,  though 
verdure  and  sunshine  be  around  the  mountain  ?  And 
yet  how  different  were  we,  the  restless  triad,  from 
that  "  forty  feeding  like  one  !"  I  began  to  fear  that 
we  should  have  what  Charles  Lamb  calls  "  a  sermon 
without  hands ;"  but  a  young  woman  took  off  her 
bonnet,  rose,  and  facing  the  assembly,  in  a  clear,  mu- 
sical, and  most  pathetic  tone,  addressed  DEATH.  As 
she  proceeded,  her  voice  became  agitated,  tears  roll- 


44  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

ed  down  her  cheeks,  her  frame  shook  with  emotion, 
she  could  not  proceed,  but,  covering  her  face,  sat 
down. 

I  was  prepared  for  stillness — repose — calm  exhor- 
tation ;  but  tears — passion — in  a  Quaker's  Meeting 
— 1  should  have  as  soon  expected  to  have  seen  the 
halcyon  fluttering  on  a  summer's  sea.  After  this 
movement,  the  silence  again  deepened  like  a  pause  in 
nature,  when  the  elements  have  been  at  strife.  Even 
we,  the  worldly  triad,  sat  still,  with  hands  folded, 
heads  straight  forward,  quiet  as  if  the  body  were  not ; 
our  hearts  were  brought  in  contact  with  spiritual 
things,  and,  as  Charles  Lamb  again  hath  it,  I  saw  the 
dove  visibly  brooding. 

There  was  a  motion.  How  quick  is  perception  in 
such  an  assembly ! — The  same  individual  untied  and 
took  off  her  bonnet,  threw  herself  on  her  knees,  and 
prayed.  The  deep  pathos  of  her  voice  was  heard  in 
strong  supplication,  with  an  earnestness  that  would 
not  let  God  go  ;  but  tears  came  again — choked  her 
utterance — the  words  were  lost  in  uncertain  trem- 
blings— she  sat  down — and  we  were  left  once  more  to 
unuttered  musings. 

After  a  while,  rose  another  female,  calm  as  the  star 
of  evening  ;  yes,  just  so  clear  and  lonely  as  that  star, 
walking  in  its  (to  us)  quiet  depth  of  solitude,  though 
we  know  not  how  many  eyes  of  light  are  near  it — 
not  a  ripple  of  the  world's  waves  was  seen  on  her 
placid  face.  Her  exhortation  was  to  those  who,  hav- 
ing triumphed  over  error  and  seen  new  light,  are  in 
danger  of  abusing  their  privileges.  Self-possessed 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      45 

and  rational,  she  laid  open  her  text,  in  its  various 
bearings,  with  the  precision  of  a  prepared  discourse. 
There  was  a  peculiarity  in  her  pronunciation,  an  ad- 
ditional sound  to  her  final  letters,  which  is  sometimes 
heard  in  Methodist  preaching,  and  which,  though  in- 
correct,  rather  enchained  attention  than  excited  dis- 
approbation. 

That  voice  has  passed  away — we  'are  all  passing 
away,  and  I  shall  never  again  listen  to  its  sounds. 
Yet  memory  will  often  recall  it  in  some  still  Quaker- 
like  moment  of  existence,  amid  my  far-off  duties  ;  and 
who  knows  but  when  relieved  of  earthly  weights  and 
prejudices,  that  gentle  voice,  even  if  in  a  future  world 
it  still  shrinks  from  mingling  in  hymns  of  harmony, 
may  address  us  in  sweet  exhortations  on  eternal  re- 
alities ! 

It  is  hard  for  me  to  believe  that  the  voice  must  die 
— will  it  not  be  the  voice  of  those  we  love,  which  shall 
guide  us  to  their  distant  choirs,  or  call  us  to  some  spot, 
apart  even  in  heaven,  to  tell  us  in  secret  of  their 
new  joys  ?  I  can  give  up  the  eye-beam,  the  lip-smile, 
the  touch  ;  the  form  may  moulder  and  depart  to  dust ; 
but  surely  the  voice  will  only  glide  away,  and  wait 
somewhere  in  silence  to^welcome  us  again. 

While  walking  in  Chesnut  street  to-day,  I  heard  a 
mocking-bird  in  a  cage  pouring  out  its  brilliant  tones. 
It  touched  me  to  the  very  heart : 

Bird  of  the  South  !  is  this  a  scene  to  waken 

Thy  native  notes  in  thrilling,  gushing  tone  1 
Thy  woodland  nest  of  love  is  all  forsaken— 
•  Thy  mate  alone ! 


46      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

While  stranger-throngs  roll  by,  thy  song  is  lending 

Joy  to  the  happy,  soothings  to  the  sad  1 
O'er  my  full  heart  it  flows  with  gentle  blending, 
And  I  am  glad. 

And  1  will  sing,  though  dear  ones,  loved  and  loving, 

Are  left  afar  in  my  sweet  nest  of  home, 
Though  from  that  nest,  with  backward  yearnings  moving, 
Onward  I  roam ! 

And  with  heart-music  shall  my  feeble  aiding, 

Still  swell  the  note  of  human  joy  aloud ; 
Nor,  with  untrusting  soul,  kind  heaven  upbraiding, 
Sigh  mid  the  crowd. 


I  have  had  the  rare  privilege  of  seeing  one  of  those 
links  that  unite  us  with  past  history — one  of  the  few 
individuals,  who  now  remain  as  noble  specimens  of  our 
forefathers,  surrounded  by  every  association  that  can 
give  us  an  awakening  interest  in  the  past. 

Between  Philadelphia  and  Germantown  is  the  coun- 
try-seat once  owned  and  occupied  by  a  secretary  to 
William  Penn.  There,  too,  lives  now,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five,  his  grand-daughter,  standing  like  a  soli, 
tary,  graceful  pillar  on  classic  ground.  Every  thing 
under  her  roof  speaks  of  former  days,  except  her  warm 
and  tender  affections,  which,  though  they  shine  on 
the  memory  of  the  dead,  revolve,  with  a  bright  phi. 
lanthropy  around  the  living. 

We  rode  up  an  avenue  through  an  open  lawn  skirt- 
ed with  woods,  until  we  reached  the  old  brick  edifice. 
We  entered,  and  received  from  its  occupant  the  beau- 
tiful Quaker  salutation  "  Welcome  !  I  am  glad  to  see 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      47 

thee,  friend."  She  belongs  to  the  true  aristocracy  of 
our  country.  She  is  upright  in  person,  with  a  clear, 
intellectual  eye,  and  a  softness  of  manner  fitted  to  the 
higher  walks  of  society.  She  was  dressed  in  a  nice 
Quaker  cap,  a  short  chintz  wrapper,  and  neatly  fold, 
ed  muslin  kerchief.  This  is  her  usual  costume,  and 
it  would  make  a  fine  lady  blush  to  see  how  mind,  tow- 
ering mind,  throws  a  glory  over  this  simple  array. 

I  was  soon  seated  in  one  of  her  high-backed  chairs, 
and  as  I  glanced  at  the  china  tiles  around  the  wide 
fire-place  with  scripture  illustrations,  showing  how 
David  slew  Goliah,  and  how  the  wicked  Herodias 
danced  before  the  king, — at  the  beaufet,  filled  with 
old  china,  from  whose  minute  cups  was  drank,  if 
drank  at  all,  the  stinted  revolutionary  draught, — at 
the  three  legged  tables  with  their  broad  tops  turned 
up  against  the  wall — at  the  ponderous  book-case, 
whose  mahogany  had  assumed  almost  the  hue  of 
ebony,  yet  shining  with  the  housekeeper's  brightness, 
— and  as  our  hostess  pointed  to  the  sofa  and  chairs  on 
which  Wm.  Penn  had  sitten,  the  table  where  his  se- 
cretary had  written,  and  where  ink,  to  which  the  re- 
volutionary ink  was  young,  still  lay,  looking,  as  she 
said,  as  if  it  were  sometimes  spattered  jn  agitation, — 
as  I  saw  the  letters  of  Wm.  Penn,  and  read  familiar 
words,  which  bring  the  dead  so  near  to  the  living, — 
when  I  heard  her  tell  how,  when  a  little  girl,  she 
climbed  the  fence  and  heard  the  declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence read, — while  she  spoke  of  Washington,  and 
Pinckney,  and  Rutledge,  and  Jefferson,  as  companions 
•  •::* 


49      NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

and  friends — I  felt  the  spirit  of  the  Past  sweep  on  and 
brood  over  the  scene. 

There  was  a  sofa,  the  back  of  which  was  higher 
than  our  heads,  which  her  grandfather  had  boasted 
was  sent  out  from  England  as  the  last  fashion,  and 
which  she  said  was  probably  the  kind  that  Cowper 
described  as  large  enough  for  two. 

The  building  which  has  impressed  me  the  most 
deeply,  since  I  saw  the  Capitol,  is  the  Penitentiary 
of  the  city.  As  one  approaches  its  massy  walls 
and  towers,  a  European  association  occurs  to  the 
mind,  (such  as  reading  furnishes,)  which  is  rarely 
furnished  in  this  country.  The  Philadelphians  study 
external  elegance  in  every  thing  ;  one  recognises 
this  love  of  the  beautiful  in  their  halls,  churches,  pri- 
vate buildings,  dress  ;  and  even  in  their  prisons,  the 
melancholy  thought  of  sin  and  punishment  is  sof- 
tened by  the  idea,  that  every  alleviation  which  care 
and  cleanliness,  and  external  attraction  can  bestow, 
is  there.  Philadelphia,  I  must  acknowledge,  sits  like 
a  peerless  bride  among  her  sister  cities,  with  her 
white  wedding  garments,  and  the  orange  wreaths  in 
her  hair  ! 

As  we  stood  in  the  inner  court  of  the  Penitentiary, 
we  saw,  on  all  sides,  the  long  galleries,  with  wards 
above  and  below,  where  each  prisoner  has  a  separate 
cell ;  solitary  confinement  being  the  leading  feature 
and  principle  of  the  establishment.  A  very  few  at- 
tendants perform  the  duties  of  supervision.  While 
we  were  there,  dinner  was  being  served.  It  was 
wheeled  in,  carefully  covered  to  keep  it  warm,  and 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.       49 

delivered  in  bright  tin  pans,  at  each  door,  slightly 
ajar,  and  which  was  carefully  shut  as  we  passed.  Over 
head,  the  same  distribution  was  going  on  in  the  up- 
per  wards,  the  vehicle  being  a  car  propelled  on  a 
railway.  There  are  two  hundred  and  fifty  beings  in 
this  noiseless  region. ;  twenty-one  only  are  females.  No 
convict  knows  who  is  his  neighbor,  or  whether  he  has 
one.  Work  is  provided  for  them,  which  they  crave 
eagerly,  but  there  is  no  obligation  for  them  to  do  it. 
Deprivation  of  employment  is  a  punishment. 

We  were  shown  a  cell  just  vacated  by  an  inmate 
of  many  years'  standing,  as  a  specimen  of  all.  It 
was  capacious,  and  well  lighted  from  above.  By 
simply  turning  a  spout,  water,  that  Philadelphia  bles- 
sing, could  be  procured  at  any  moment ;  every  cell 
is  provided  with  this  luxury  ;  a  flue  of  a  stove  also 
runs  through  each  room.  A  bedstead,  which  turned 
up  against  the  wall  at  pleasure,  was  comforta- 
bly furnished.  The  inmate  had  been  taught  to 
make  shoes,  and  his  bench  remained  with  the 
tools  as  he  left  it  ;  among  other  articles  of  comfort 
and  necessity,  was  a  small  looking-glass  suspended 
from  the  wall.  This  set  me  busily  to  musing.  To 
think  of  a  man's  watching  his  daily  decline  for  twelve 
or  twenty  years  in  that  little  glass,  and  see  the  eye 
grow  dim  and  the  hair  turn  gray,  and  compare  the 
laughing  glance  of  boyhood,  or  the  self-satisfied 
smile  of  manhood,  with  the  withering  touch  of  age, 
alone — alone  ! 

There  was  a  door  leading  outward  from  the  cell, 
into  a  small  enclosure,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall, 
5 

. 


50  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

where  the  prisoner  was  allowed  to  pass  one  hour 
daily,  watched  by  a  sentinel  from  above.  In  this  soli- 
tary  promenade  were  several  plants,  which  the  prison. 
er  had  cultivated  in  his  walking  hour.  At  seeing  this, 
I  again  fell  into  thought.  When  we  are  happy,  and 
at  liberty  to  gather  all  plants,  from  "  the  cedar  of 
Lebanon  to  the  hyssop  on  the  wall,"  how  our  affec- 
tions cling  to  some  one  flower  that  graces  our  win- 
dows or  is  caressed  by  our  fireside  !  How  we 
raise  its  new  leaves,  and  watch  its  unfolding  bud, 
and  inhale  its  odour!  What  then  must  be  the 
feeling  of  the  prisoner  of  years  when  he  sees  a  spon- 
taneous blade  of  grass  or  flower  springing  up  in  the 
barren  earth  by  his  cell ! 

This  is  indeed  a  comfortable  prison  :  it  would  not 
require  a  great  stretch  of  poetry  for  the  suffering 
poor,  who  contemplate  these  things,  to  say 

O  had  we  a  tight  little  cell  of  our  own, 

In  some  snugly-built  prison,  far  off  and  alone  ! 

But  then  the  word  we  or  /  makes  a  prodigious  dif- 
ference, and  therein  consists  the  secret  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Penitentiary  discipline. 

In  leaving  the  prison,  I  found  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  expend  too  much  of  the  pathetic  in  sympa- 
thy. Vice  never  before  has  had  its  claims  so  impar- 
tially balanced,  nor  has  so  much  mercy  ever  been 
mingled  with  so  much  justice.  I  left  the  Peniten- 
tiary with  a  light  heart,  but  my  thoughts  recurred 
again  to  the  deserted  cell,  and  were  embodied  in  these 
words  : — 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  51 


THE  RELEASED  CONVICT'S  CELL, 

AT    THE    PHILADELPHIA    PENITENTIARY. 

Within  the  prison's  massy  walls  I  stood, 
And  all  was  still.     Down  the  far  galleried  aisles 
I  gazed — upward  and  near;  no  eye  was  seen 
No  footstep  heard,  save  a  few  flitting  guards 
Urging  with  vacant  look  their  daily  round ; 
For  in  the  precinets  of  each  narrow  cell, 
Hands,  busiest  once  amid  licentious  crowds, 
Voices  that  shouted  loudest  in  the  throng, 
Were  now  as  calm,  as  erst  the  winds  and  waves, 
When  Jesus  said,  be  still. 

I  was  led  on 

To  where  a  convict  ten  slow  years  had  dwelt 
A  prisoned  man.     Released  that  day,  he  sought 
The  world  again.     Wide  open,  stood  his  door. 
Hard  by  the  cell,  (where  for  brief  term  each  day 
He  walked  alone,  to  feel  the  blessed  breeze 
Play  on  his  cheek,  or  see  the  sunbeam  dawn 
Like  a  fond  mother  on  her  erring  child,) 
There  was  a  little  spot  of  earth,  that  woke 
Within  my  breast  a  gush  of  sudden  tears. 
His  hand  had  tilled  it,  and  the  fresh  grass  grew 
Rewardingly,  and  springing  plants  were  there 
One  knows  not  how,  lifting  their  gentle  heads 
In  kind  companionship  to  that  lone  man. 

Who  can  portray  how  gladly  to  the  eye 
Of  that  past  sinner,  came  in  beauty  forth 
Those  springing  buds,  in  nature's  lavish  love  7 
Perchance  they  led  him  back,  in  healthful  thought, 
To  some  green  spot,  where,  in  his  early  years, 
The  wild-flower  rose  like  him,  unstained  and  free. 

Oh,  many  a  thought  swept  o'er  my  busy  mind, 
And  my  heart  said,  God  bless  thee,  erring  one, 


62      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Now  new  born  to  the  world  !     May  heavenly  flowers 
Spring  up  and  blossom  on  thy  purer  way  ! 

A  deep,  pathetic  consciousness  I  felt 
Stirring  my  soul  in  that  forsaken  cell. 
It  seemed  the  nest  from  which  had  flown  the  bird  ; 
Or  chrysalis,  from  whose  dark  folds  had  burst 
Th'  unfettered  wing  ;  or  grave,  from  whence  the  spirit, 
Wrapp'd  in  earth's  death-robe  long,  had  sprung  in  joy. 
Thus  be  the  door  of  mercy  oped  for  me, 
And  leaving  far  the  prison-house  of  sin, 
Thus  may  my  spirit  range. 

Among  the  pleasant  excursions  around  Philadel- 
phia, is  Bartram's  garden,  which,  besides  its  own 
botanical  value  and  romantic  location,  is  interest- 
ing from  its  being  the  favorite  spot  where  Wilson, 
the  ornithologist,  pursued  his  studies.  The  school- 
house  where  he  taught,  is  on  the  road  ;  and  as  one 
rides  by,  his  innocent  character  and  useful  life  press 
vividly  on  the  memory.  The  dwelling-house  at  the 
garden  is  very  ancient,  and  bears  this  distinct  in- 
scription on  the  outside,  placed  there  by  its  indom- 
itable Quaker  owner,  who  was  charged  with  heresy 
by  his  sect. 

'Tis  GOD  ALONE,  ALMIGHTY  LORD, 
THE  ONLY  ONE  BY  ME  ADORED. 

JOHN  BARTRAM,  1770. 

The  green-house  and  nurseries  are  rich  in  plants 
and  the  garden  forms  an  irregular,  and  therefore  an 
agreeable  stroll.  The  pionies,  which  defy  the  cul- 
ture of  our  Southern  florists,  are  here  in  gorgeous 
bloom.  My  heart  was  made  glad  by  the  delicate 

• 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  53 

scent  and  yellow  blossom  of  a  barberry  bush  on  the 
highway.  There  is  nothing  that  recalls  the  past 
more  vividly  than  the  perfume  and  color  of  a  long, 
forgotten  flower.  Farewell  to  thee,  Philadelphia  ! 
Again  I  say,  in  truth,  thou  sittest  like  a  bride  among 
thy  sister  cities  ! 

NEW.YORK. 

The  elements  were  busy  in  their  gardening  opera- 
tions, when  I  left  Philadelphia  in  the  steam-boat 
Trenton,  and  the  rain  poured  as  if  Fair  Mount  and 
the  river  goddess  of  the  Schuylkill  were  translated 
upwards.  Fortunately,  but  little  of  interest  is  to  be 
seen  in  this  route ;  fortunately,  too,  when  the  ele- 
ments are  busy  without,  the  social  principle  is  ac- 
tive, and  one  has  an  opportunity,  in  the  suspension 
of  what  may  be  called  the  telescopic  view  of  things, 
to  turn  to  the  microscopic,  and  hold  the  glass  to  in- 
dividuals. And  I  must  pause  to  say,  that  up  to  this 
time  I  have  not  seen,  among  the  passengers,  one 
rude  act  or  look  since  I  entered  the  steam-boat  at 
Charleston  for  Norfolk.  One  little  group  I  may 
except ;  but  to  their  honor  be  it  said,  they  strove, 
as  much  as  human  nature  could,  to  restrain  the  feel- 
ing of  the  ludicrous.  They  sat  near  the  head  of  the 
stairs  of  the  Ladies'  cabin,  which  were  slippery  with 
the  dampness  of  the  day,  As  the  passengers  came 
in  like  Cowper's  rose-bush,  "  dripping  and  drowned," 
there  seemed  to  be  no  one  to  communicate  this  fact 
of  slipperiness,  and  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
company  descended  to  the  cabin  in  an  involuntary 


54     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

slide  on  their  backs.  I  have  said  that  the  scent  and 
color  of  flowers  brought  back  recollections  of  child, 
hood,  but  no  less  is  a  strong  reminiscence  awakened 
by  seeing  an  individual  slip  and  fall  on  his  back 
down  a  flight  of  stairs.  What  person  in  childhood 
has  not  been  the  subject  of  this  unexpected  indigni- 
ty ?  The  little  group  to  whom  1  recently  referred, 
appeared  for  a  while  to  have  their  moral  sense  cloud- 
ed ;  they  thought  it  almost  Quixotic  to  arrest  the 
steps  of  a  hundred  people  with  unsolicited  advice, 
and  at  last 'it  seemed  yielded  to  as  a  kind  of  fate, 
that  the  cabin  should  be  reached  by  this  summary 
process. 

I  was  able  to  devote  a  little  time  to  the  reading 
of  Sartor  Resartus,  which  has  recently  been  pub- 
lished by  subscription  at  Boston.  It  appeared  ori- 
ginally in  Eraser's  Magazine,  (London,)  and  its  views 
have  become  a  popular  philosophy  among  some  en- 
thusiastic admirers.  The  title  implies,  the  Patcher 
Repatched  ;  and  it  is  professedly  the  philosophy  of 
clothes,  which  no  one  can  understand  without  read- 
ing, and  not  many  with.  Carlyle,  the  author, 
is  one  of  the  most  exquisite  writers  in  the  Edin- 
burgh Review,  and  has  been  for  some  time  ex- 
pected on  a  visit  to  America.  One  is  first  struck  with 
the  quaintness  of  the  title  and  arrangement  of  Sar- 
tor, then  attention  becomes  rivetted  to  the  perfect 
English  of  the  style.  It  is  almost  a  poem,  having, 
with  apparent  irregularity,  a  perfect  plan  in  deve- 
loping the  course  of  reflection  in  a  young  man,  who 
has  the  usual  trials  of  education,  followed  by  mental 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      55 

and  bodily  afflictions.  It  is  a  work  to  be  read  with 
pains-taking.  Whatever  results  readers  may  arrive 
at  respecting  its  religious  transcendentalism,  no  one 
can  rise  from  it  without  feeling  that  he  has  a  larger 
mind  than  when  he  commenced  it,  that  he  has -taken 
a  higher  step  in  his  intellectual  movement,  and  can 
look  down  to  the  point  from  whence  he  started  ;  true, 
the  new  land  may  be  covered  with  mists  and  shadows  ; 
there  may  be  an  unreal  rainbow  and  sunshine 
where  it  is  not,  and  stars  seemingly  below,  but  which 
are,  in  fact,  above  ;  but  still  it  is  a  new  goal.  Some 
will  pause  and  wonder,  some  return,  or  stand  like  me, 
calmly  rubbing  their  eyes  for  new  light,  and  ready, 
if  truth  directs,  to  take  another  flight. 

The  rain  was  still  pouring  when  we  arrived  at 
New-York,  yet  the  bustle  of  the  city  was  scarcely 
checked.  We  passed  through  Broadway,  and  reach- 

ed  the  fashionable  residences  in  Place,  where 

all  is  as  quiet  as  exclusiveness  can  desire.  1  could 
scarcely  believe  "that  while  we  were  sipping  our 
tea,  thousands  of  men  had  collected  in  the  Park, 
with  the  intention  of  arresting  the  verdict  of  Judge 
Edwards  on  the  strike  of  the  Tailors.  As  we  drove 
through  the  streets  the  next  day,  leisurely,  I  could 
see  the  dreadful  elements  of  a  mob  at  every  turn  in 
the  foreign  faces  around  me.  The  most  trivial  cir- 
cumstance— the  drawing  a  large  block  of  granite, 
the  breaking  a  carriage,  &c.,  attracted  a  crowd  with 
incredible  quickness.  This  city  is  a  striking  con- 
trast  to  Philadelphia.  Instead  of  a  bride  in  her 
.wedding  garments,  New-York  looks  more  like 


56      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

"  The  old  woman  who  lived  in  a  shoe, 

"  Who  had  so  many  children  she  didn't  know  what  to  do." 

The  shoe  of  New-York,  however,  is  of  India- 
rubber,  and  no  one  can  visit  the  suburbs  without  feel- 
ing the  great  progressive  impulse  which  its  legisla- 
tors have  given  to  its  wonderfully  elastic  powers. 
Every  where  its  avenues  are  stretching  out  their 
long  arms,  and  population  is  spreading  over  them. 

After  a  drive  about  the  city,  in  which  I  glanced 
at  the  Battery,  the  churches,  the  public  squares,  the 
new  university,  which  stands  a  conspicuous  monu- 
ment of  improved  taste  in  building,  and  the  wide 
avenues  opening  on  every  side  with  a  noble  pro- 
phecy of  this  immensely  spreading  metropolis,  I 
began  to  single  out  particular  objects.  St.  John's 
Square  belongs  to  the  private  residences  that  en- 
circle it,  the  occupants  of  which  keep  keys  of  the 
gates.  At  this  season  of  the  year  the  foliage  is 
deep  and  beautiful.  The  ground  in  which  the  vic- 
tims of  yellow  fever  were  interred  in  the  deadly 
seasons,  has  been  rescued  from  the  encroachments 
of  the  increasing  population,  and  reserved  as  a  pub- 
lic square.  How  few  think,  as  they  tread  this  spot 
with  light  footsteps  and  hearts,  of  the  once  suffering 
sleepers  that  rest  below. 

Near  Manhattanville,  seven  miles  from  the  city, 
is  the  New-York  Lunatic  Asylum.  Dr.  Francis, 
an  eminent  physician  of  this  city,  in  a  published 
letter  on  the  subject,  says  that  this  institution  is  a 
proud  trophy  of  Mr.  Eddy's  laudable  perseverance, 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  57 

and  therefore  I  looked  with  earnestness  and  interest 
on  the  plain  portrait  of  Mr.  Eddy  in  the  common 
parlour  of  the  building.  And  a  "  proud  trophy"  it 
was  to  adjust  medical  treatment  and  Christian  kind- 
ness to  the  neglected  and  mistaken  wants  of  lunacy  ! 
Indeed,  when  we  remember  the  brutal  and  unphilo- 
sophical  treatment  of  those  poor  sufferers  in  a  former 
period,  it  was  like  saying  to  darkness,  "  let  there  be 
light !"  and  there  was  light.  The  sufferers  felt  it 
in  the  amelioration  of  their  wild  and  restless  pain, 
and  their  friends  feel  it  with  hearts  of  thankfulness 
as  they  rely  on  a  new  and  judicious  philanthropy. 

There  are  two  hundred  and  fifty  lunatics  in  the 
establishment.  A  salutary  law  allows  none  of  them 
to  be  seen  by  strangers,  except  when  introduced  by 
the  attending  physician.  In  all  the  cases  I  have 
seen,  the  physician  is  welcomed  as  a  friend.  I 
found  in  their  apartments  every  resource  of  which 
their  situation  will  admit ;  in  one  was  a  piano,  in 
the  hall  a  billiard-table,  balanced  seats,  battledoors, 
&c.  They  ride  and  walk  statedly.  About  eighty 
attend  religious  service  on  Sunday,  and  those  who 
wish,  dance  to  musical  instruments  on  Thursday 
afternoons.  The  superintendant  informed  me  that 
many  of  them  looked  forward  with  great  interest  to 
the  dance,  arrange  their  dresses,  &c.  I  was  startled 
at  first  by  such  a  singular  combination  of  ideas,  but 
on  reflecting,  I  saw  its  admirable  philosophy  in  ob- 
taining  for  them  voluntary  exercise.  From  the  cu- 
pola  I  had  my  first  view  of  the  far-famed  Hudson, 
or  North  River. 


58      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

I  visited  also  the  Bellevue  Hospital,  which  is 
supported  by  the  city.  There  are  now  twenty-two 
hundred  occupants !  It  is  said  that  emigrants,  on 
landing,  inquire  for  this  institution !  There  is  a 
wonderful  air  of  neatness  over  this  crowded  scene. 
I  could  scarcely  believe  it,  with  such  a  mass.  The 
old  women  looked  as  if  they  had  been  scrubbed  with 
soap  and  sand  as  well  as  the  floors,  which  were  as 
white  as  those  of  a  Philadelphian.  Bouquets  of 
clover  and  dandelion  were  placed  on  the  stoves  by 
the  side  of  many  of  these  old  crones.  When  I  re- 
turned to  the  city,  and  saw  some  of  the  wretches 
about  the  streets,  I  thought  a  change  from  such 
filth  to  the  stripping  and  washing,  and  clean  cloth- 
ing of  Bellevue,  might  nearly  kill  some  of  them. 

Every  American  traveller  will  pause  with  plea- 
sure at  the  Academy  of  Design.  It  is  well  before 
or  after  visiting  the  picturesque  scenes  of  our  coun- 
try, to  know  what  hands  are  to  immortalize  them, 
perpetuating  their  beauties  and  wonders.  We  lin- 
gered till  twilight  in  the  hall,  and  were  about  de- 
parting, when  it  was  lit  up  by  a  magic  touch,  with 
gas,  so  instantaneously  that  I  could  scarcely  rea- 
lize it.  The  light  was  clear,  and  beautiful  as  day. 

We  were,  of  course,  attracted  by  the  productions 
of  our  young  fellow-townsman,  G.  W.  Flagg.  I 
could  not  help  recalling  the  time,  some  years  since, 
when  I  had  seen  a  specimen  of  his  painting  handed 
about  a  drawing-room  in  Charleston,  while  the  lit- 
tle artist  sat  blushing,  but  conscious  of  his  own 
powers. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      59 

Hubert  and  Arthur  is  a  wonderful  realization  of 
Shakspeure's  description.  The  expression  of  grief 
and  doubt  in  Hubert,  as  the  young  Arthur  kneels 
in  pleading  sorrow  before  him,  would  seem  to  have 
been  the  result  of  the  experience  of  years  rather 
than  the  short  observation  of  youth.  The  Savoyard 
Musician  is  spirited. 

Chess  is  a  fine  personation  of  a  perplexed  player. 
The  contracted  brow  of  the  young  man  seems  to 
bear  the  weight  of  a  nation  upon  it.  His  fair  op- 
ponent does  not  satisfy  me  ;  she  is  too  stiff.  As 
far  as  my  recollection  serves  me,  young  ladies  de- 
cide quickly,  and  then  throw  themselves  into  an 
easy  attitude,  even  in  critical  states  of  the  game. 
Our  Southern  party  could  hardly  be  induced  to  pass 
the  negro  girl  who  is  handing  refreshments  to  the 
chess-players,  and  who,  perceiving  her  young  mas- 
ter in  perplexity,  is  straining  her  eyes  to  find  out 
the  cause.  The  sketch  is  perfect ;  and  reminded 
us  of  many  a  sable  friend  at  home,  whose  prayers, 
we  know,  are  often  raised  for  us  on  our  distant 
way ! 

The  Nun  is  to  me  the  least  attractive  of  Flagg's 
pictures.  It  wants  the  spiritual  grace  which  is  as- 
sociated  with  our  imagination  of  those  God-dedicat- 
ed beings  ;  but  the  Match  Girl  is  exquisite  ;  the 
subdued  look  of  poverty,  which  seems  to  be  specu- 
lating on  its  next  resource,  is  very  touching  ;  rag- 
ged and  hungry,  the  grace  of  youth  bursts  through 
the  whole. 

Those  who  wish  a  more  extended  account  of  the 


60       NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

exhibition  will  find  one  in  several  consecutive  num. 
bers  of  the  New- York  Mirror  by  a  spirited  and  in* 
telligent  hand. 

I  can  scarcely  dwell  a  moment  on  West's  Death 
on  the  Pale  Horse,  since  one  visit  is  only  long 
enough  to  take  in  the  general  conception.  When 
I  left  it,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  tasted  only  one  sip  of  a 
delicious  goblet.  I  shall  bear  about  in  my  memory 
the  great  outline  until  I  return  in  the  fall  to  another 
survey. 

I  find  the  insubordination  of  the  poorer  classes  a 
theme  of  constant  discussion.  '  One  circumstance 
may  serve  to  illustrate  the  state  of  things  in  that 
respect.  When  driving  through  Broadway  with  a 
friend  in  her  private  carriage,  I  observed  that  a 
ragged  boy  had  jumped  on  behind.  I  called  her  at- 
tention,  and  asked  her  why  she  did  not  order  him 
off? 

"  I  am  afraid  to,"  was  her  answer  ;  "  the  last 
time  I  did  so,  I  was  cursed  through  Broadway  with 
the  most  revolting  and  opprobrious  epithets  ;  and  a 
gentleman  received  the  same  treatment,  who  was 
with  me  a  short  time  after." 

Turning  to  the  intruder,  she  said,  quite  humbly, 
"  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  get  off?"  and,  much 
to  her  surprise,  the  boy  consented.  Is  the  advan- 
tage  of  emigration  to  compensate  us  for  the  vices 
and  insubordination  it  is  introducing?  I  hear  com- 
plaints respecting  servants  wherever  I  go,  and  I 
think  it  must  arise  from  their  entire  separation 
from  their  friends  and  relations.  I  have  in  vain 


NOTES    OP    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  61 

looked  among  them  to  find  relatives  enjoying  each 
other's  leisure,  and  sharing  each  other's  cares  ;  all 
are  strangers  to  each  other  ;  in  every  kitchen  is  the 
isolated  American  girl,  or  stout  Irish  woman,  or 
free  negro. 

The  vast  resources  of  this  city,  what  it  has  ac- 
complished, and  what  it  proposes ;  its  delightful  lo- 
cation, its  literature,  and  its  charities,  and, let  me  add, 
its  degradation,  have  set  me  to  musing,  and  brought 
out  thoughts  like  these  : 

THE  CITY  OF  NEW-YORK. 

Atlantic  city !  brightly  art  thou  beaming, 

Throwing  thy  kindling  ray  o'er  land  and  sea, 
Enlightening  myriads  with  thy  far-spread  gleaming, 
Home  of  the  free  ! 

Giant  of  wealth !  thine  arm  of  mighty  power 

Sweeps  to  thy  coffers  gold  from  distant  shores  ; 
While  on  each  asking  hand  thy  Danae  shower, 
Its  treasures  pours. 

Religion's  nurse  !  on  spire  and  towers  still  flying, 
The  Christian  standard  floats  unfurled  and  free; 
Never  our  bold  forefathers'  claim  denying, 
Mind's  liberty  ! 

Favourite  of  nature !  on  thy  green  shore  dwelling, 

Bright  spring-flowers  bloom, — the  wild  birds  carol  gay, 
And  the  green  ocean  laves  thy  broad  pier,  smiling 
In  noisy  play. 

Haven  of  ships  !   thy  storm-tried  masts  are  standing, 

With  their  tall  foreheads  to  the  meeting  clouds, 
A  floating  world — the  billowy  world  commanding, 
With  their  tough  shrouds. 
6 


62  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

Syren  of  pleasure  !  in  thy  halls  bright  glancing, 

Youth  gaily  springs,  and  prunes  her  buoyant  wing. 
Do  purity  and  truth  the  mirth  enhancing, 

Their  chorus  bring  7 

Oh,  mighty  city,  to  thy  trust  is  given 

A  moral  influence — a  Christian  sway  ! 
Souls  throng  thy  busy  streets  to  people  heaven, — 
Let  them  not  stray. 

Atlantic  cities  !  rouse  ye  all  from  sleeping 

Sin's  deadly  sleep,  lest  drops  of  grief  be  wrung 
From  Him  who  o'er  Judea  sadly  weeping, 

Her  death-note  sung. 

GOWHANNUS,  LONG  ISLAND. 

It  was  not  without  delight  that  1  left  even  the  ele- 
gances and  refinements  of  the  city  for  the  natural 
attractions  of  this  beautiful  scene  on  the  bend  of 
Gowhannus  Bay.  The  house  of  my  friends  stands 
in  a  valley,  with  an  open  view  of  the  sea  on  one 
side,  while  on  the  other  runs  up  a  graceful  hill,  sur- 
mounted by  a  summer-house,  which  commands  the 
picturesque  country  around.  It  is  happiness  from 
this  elevation  to  gaze  on  the  sun  as  it  sinks  behind 
the  opposite  hill,  throwing  its  parting  glow  over  the 
tranquil  waters,  or  to  watch  the  clouds  in  the  long 
twilight  brighten  and  brighten,  and  even  die  in  glory. 
Now  a  boat  rowed  by  young  girls  shoots  out  from 
the  shore,  and  their  merry,  or  sacred  songs  come 
sounding  on  the  pebbly  beach  ;  now  laughing  voices 
are  heard  from  the  strawberry  gatherers,  who  linger 
on  the  hill,  picking  the  fruit,  betrayed  by  its  ripe, 
rosy  hue,  hanging  in  unstinted  fulness  from  every 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  63 

stem,  and  asking  only  to  be  gathered ;  then  come 
deeper  shadows  on  hill  and  ocean,  and  lights  beam 
out  from  the  many  boats,  whose  white  sails  yet 
brighten  the  shaded  waters,  and  the  city  shows  its 
thousand,  thousand  eyes  in  the  distance,  and  rockets 
rise  sweeping  up  on  the  sky  till  they  sparkle  and 
are  gone ;  and  then  ascends,  too,  the  evening  star, 
and  the  moon  displays  her  young  crescent,  and  we 
feel  how  impotent  is  man  with  his  millions  of  hogs- 
heads of  whale  oil,  his  tons  of  spermaceti,  his  oceans 
of  tallow,  and  his  countless  pipes  of  gas.  How  is 
he  nothing,  and  less  than  nothing,  compared  to  those 
planets  walking  silently  in  the  western  sky  ! 

FISHKILL  LANDING. 

It  was  raining  when  we  rose  on  the  morning  of 
the  twenty-first  at  5  o'clock,  and  as  we  rode  through 
^he  streets  of  New-York  to  the  steam-boat  an  hour 
later,  they  were  as  quiet  as  a  village.  I  began  to  trem- 
ble for  the  pleasantness  of  our  North  River  excursion 
as  I  stepped  over  the  dirty  wharves,  and  entered  the 
damp  boat,  and  saw  the  crowds  hurriedly  and  drip, 
pingly  press  on  board.  The  last  bell  rung,  the 
rain  was  suspended,  and  out  came  the  glorious  sun  ! 
He  scattered  the  clouds  that  had  been  so  dense,  and 
gave  us  that  chastened  light  which  is  best  for  view- 
ing scenery  on  the  water.  On  darted  The  Cham, 
plain  ;  the  city  was  passed  ;  the  Palisades  came  in 
sight,  a  range  of  rocks  from  twenty  to  five  hundred 
feet  in  height,  commencing  between  eight  or  ten 
miles  from  the  city.  On  the  opposite  side  were 


64  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

beautiful  residences  and  picturesque  openings.  Thir- 
ty-three miles  from  New-York  we  saw  the  massy 
walls  of  the  Sing  Sing  Prison  ;  and  as  we  bounded 
away  like  birds,  joyous  and  free,  I  sighed  that 
man  should  thus  blast  and  forfeit  his  higher  destiny 
by  sin. 

But  man  was  soon  forgotten  in  delicious  nature. 
The  Highlands  came  in  sight,  with  their  blue  crests, 
nearer  and  nearer,  until  I  felt  the  majesty  of  their 
strength ;  and  then  from  admiration  came  a  lofty 
repose,  a  trust  that  he  who  creates  and  rules  nature 
will  guard  and  love  me  ;  and  thus  thinking,  I  was 
as  calm  as  a  part  of  that  great  and  beautiful  whole. 

Anthony's  Nose  appeared,  heaving  its  great  mass 
against  the  sky.  I  never  can  remember  heights. 
The  only  idea  I  can  give  of  its  immense  character 
is  that  a  rose  should  be  as  big  as  a  hogshead  for  An- 
thony's Nose  to  smell  of,  and  a  pinch  of  snuff  pro- 
portioned to  its  capacity  would  set  all  New-York 
sneezing. 

Then  followed  the  usual  rush  to  see  the  upper  An- 
thony's  Nose,  or  rather  face  ;  and  all  were  crying, 
where  ?  where  ?  there  !  there  !  higher  !  lower  ! 
above  !  below  !  ^ 

Some  saw  a  mouth  and  some  a  nose, 
And  some  the  outline  of  a  chin.* 

I  perceived  nothing  but  a  gray  rock,  with  its  green 

*  Some  saw  a  hand,  and  some  an  arm, 
And  some  the  waving  of  a  gown. 

Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel. 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      65 

drapery,  but  I  saw  better  things  in  that  majestic 
scene ;  not  a  bare  outline,  but  it  was  as  if  God's 
image  were  stamped  on  every  lofty  hill  and  vale, 
and  I  bowed  before  his  presence. 

The  boat  stopped  at  Newburgh,  and  we  crossed 
the  ferry  to  Fishkill  Landing.  Was  I  indeed  a 
stranger  ?  I  felt  it  not  in  the  pressure  of  hospitable 
hands,  nor  in  the  dower  given  by  all  gracious  nature 
to  this  magic  spot  in  mountain  and  valley,  river  and 
sky. 

A  wedding  was  on  foot  the  next  evening,  and  we 
went  to  it.  On  entering  the  carriage,  we  found  that 
our  Irish  coachman  had  entered  into  the  spirit  of 
the  occasion,  and  decorated  the  horses'  heads  and 
the  windows  of  the  carriage  with  white  and  red 
roses.  But  there  was  nothing  rural  in  our  wedding  ; 
city  luxuries  were  seen  on  every  side,  brilliant  pyra- 
mids, iced  fruits,  and  spiced  cakes  ;  no  rustic  fiddler 
sat  in  the  pride  of  ignorance,  but  a  full  band  from 
New-York,  with  a  harp  accompaniment,  set  the  slip- 
pered foot  in  motion  in  the  airy  waltz- 

My  window  is  over  a  bank  which  commands  the 
Hudson,  and  1  am  drinking  in,  with  unsated  gaze, 
the  varied  attractions  of  the  landscape.  Newburgh, 
a  pretty  village  on  the  opposite  shore,  slopes  down 
on  a  gentle  declivity  to  the  river ;  cultivated  hills 
are  spread  out  beside  it  like  a  map ;  and  the 
spires  of  the  churches  look  through  the  light  lo- 
cust tree  on  the  bank  below  me.  White  sails  are 
flitting  by  on  the  calm  stream,  or  the  lordly  steam- 


66      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

boat,  panting  and  puffing,  moves  by  with  its 
worldly  freight.  At  every  other  point  of  view 
are  mountains.  The  sun  is  struggling  through 
clouds,  breaking  the  mist  which  has  gathered  on 
their  sides,  whose  gray  folds  roll  up  in  grotesque 
figures,  with  the  wooded  green  beneath,  and  the  blue 
sky  above  in  glorious  contrast.  It  is  beautiful ;  but 
even  while  I  gaze,  some  scene  on  our  Southern  rivers 
rises  to  my  view,  with  majestic  forests  clad  in  their 
mingled  green  and  gray,  the  mocking-bird's  song, 
the  fragrant  flower. 

THE  FAIRY  ISLE  AND  THE  LADY  ARCHERS. 
All  is  not  sublime  here  ;  soft,  rural  attractions  are 
scattered  in  quiet  nooks  that  need  only  to  be  sought. 
The  Matteawan  Creek,  running  in  from  the  river, 
goes  bounding  over  rocks,  and  forms  a  series  of  fresh 
and  sparkling  waterfalls  ;  a  little  rivulet  parts  from 
it,  and  circling  a  grassy  spot,  meets  the  creek  again, 
and  leaves  in  the  centre,  between  waterfalls  and  ri- 
vulets, an  emerald  bank.  The  Fairy  Isle!  Step 
with  me  over  this  plank.  The  rush  of  the  mimic 
torrents  is  heard  on  one  side,  the  gurgling  stream 
on  the  other  ;  a  rustic  bridge  peeps  through  the  fo- 
liage, tall  trees  are  over  us,  the  soft  grass  below,  and 
laughing  girls,  fresh  and  free,  and  springing  as  but- 
terflies, with  natural  flowers  in  their  hair,  are  lead- 
ing the  way.  Now  view  the  Fairy  Isle  in  another 
aspect ;  it  is  the  practising  ground  of  the  Ladies' 
Archery  Club  ;  but  you  may  not  stand  here ;  climb, 
if  you  can,  one  of  these  tall  trees,  for  none  but  the 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      67 

favored  few  can  tread  this  enchanted  ground.  They 
come  in  uniform,  their  snowy  dresses  girdled  with 
green  sashes,  and  their  white  gypsey  bonnets  tied 
with  nature's  appropriate  color  ;  their  white  quivers 
too  are  slung  with  green ;  a  shield  is  on  the  left 
wrist,  and  a  three-fingered  glove  on  the  right  hand  ; 
their  bows,  unwieldy  to  the  unpractised  arm,  are 
gracefully  poised  as  they  move  along.  Exercise 
colors  their  cheeks  and  lights  up  their  eyes  ;  they 
are  nature's  children  ;  they  were  brought  up  on  her 
bosom  ;  their  steps  are  elastic  ;  the  colder  form  and 
motion  of  society  are  gone,  the  grace  and  softness 
remain. 

The  following  lines,  just  shown  me  by  a  friend, 
will  aid  much  in  illustrating  this  enchanting  scene  : 

THE  FAERIES'  SONG, 
Respectfully  inscribed  to  the  Archery  Club. 

Haste !  come  haste  to  the  Faery  Isle, 

Deep  in  the  Highland  shades, 
Where,  Matteawan's  clear  waters  smile 

Around  its  verdant  glades. 
Where,  silvery-like,  the  gleaming  spray 

Kisses  the  deep  green  shores, 
There  sings  its  sad  and  lingering  lay, 

And  onward,  dashing  pours. 


Haste !  come  haste  to  the  Faery  Isle, 
The  wild-vines  clamber  high 

Over  the  tall  old  trees  that  pile 
Their  foliage  to  the  sky  ; 


68      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

And  soft  and  sweet  the  asphodel 

Comes  breathing  in  the  gale, 
Like  balmy  odors  famed  to  dwell 

In  Cashmere's  fragrant  vale. 

Haste,  come  haste  to  the  Faery  Isle, 

The  golden  sun  sinks  low, 
And  cool  and  deep  the  shadows,  while 

We  draw  the  springing  bow  ! 
Then  woe  to  him  whose  eyes  shall  see 

Us  poise  our  swift-winged  dart, 
For,  quick  as  lightning's  flash,  shall  flee 

That  missile  to  his  heart. 

The  only  two  Archery  Clubs  existing  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic,  are  the  United  Bowmen  of  Philadelphia, 
and  the  Ladies'  Club,  called  the  Mohicans,  (the  old 
Indian  name  of  the  place,)  at  Fishkill.  The  last 
has  been  in  operation  a  year.  It  would  be  well  for 
our  Southern  ladies  to  get  up  a  branch.  The  great- 
est difficulty  is  in  procuring  suitable  bows.  The 
best  maker  of  this  article  is  said  to  be  an  English- 
man at  Philadelphia,  where  the  whole  apparatus  can 
be  procured.  The  open  lawns  on  our  Southern 
plantations  would  be  delightful  archery  fields.  If 
such  exercises  were  more  common,  they  would  call  a 
brighter  glow  into  the  cheeks  of  our  fair  maidens. 

THE  DOMESTIC  SQUIRREL. 
A  friend  here  has  narrated  to  me  a  singular  cir- 
cumstance for  naturalists.  She  perceived  from  day 
to  day,  as  her  drawing-room  was  opened,  nut-shells, 
and  other  little  matters,  scattered  about  the  room. 
The  apartment  was  not  in  use,  but  after  airing  it  a 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  69 

little  while,  the  door  was  locked  daily.  A  month 
passed  away,  and  one  day  a  member  of  the  family 
saw  in  the  same  room  a  flying  squirrel,  which  was 
caught,  but  permitted  to  go  away  again.  Nothing 
more  was  thought  about  it  until,  on  opening  a  draw- 
er  in  the  same  room  some  time  after,  a  nest  was 
found  with  young  squirrels.  They  were  of  course 
great  pets,  but  seemed  to  be  cared  for  by  some  un- 
seen agent.  At  length,  when  the  family  went  one 
morning  to  carry  their  food,  they  were  gone.  Their 
abandoned  nest  was  made  of  shreds  from  the  hearth- 
rug, paper  from  a  pamphlet  in  the  room,  leaves  and 
matter  from  the  forest.  It  was  thought  that  the  vi- 
sitations of  the  squirrel  were  down  the  chimney,  and 
that  she  had  removed  her  offspring  through  the  same 
avenue.  On  the  following  season,  when  the  transac- 
tion was  quite  forgotten,  the  drawer  being  again 
opened,  the  old  squirrel  sprang  out  again.  Alas  !  a 
huge  black  cat,  a  family  pet  too,  saw  the  movement, 
leaped  forward,  and  the  pretty  little  visitor  was  de- 
capitated. 

I  have  not  seen  the  moon,  which  has  been  obscured 
through  its  present  stage  since  its  young  crescent 
rose  over  Gowhannus  Bay  at  Long  Island,  until  last 
evening.  It  came  over  the  mountains  with  an  exag- 
gerated glory  and  size,  treading  their  heights  as  if 
they  were  made  for  her  queenly  steps.  In  vain  were 
gathered  shadows,  and  dark  recesses  arrayed  against 
her  ;  her  full  and  glittering  splendor  fell  like  a  flood 
upon  them,  and  mountain  and  valley,  river  and  vil- 
lage, were  kindled  into  a  mimic  day.  A  sudden  de- 


70      NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

termination  was  made  for  a  boating  party  ;  shawls 
were  wrapt  about  us,  and  we  hastened  to  a  private 
landing.  It  is  not  worth  while  to  tell  of  shoes  fast- 
ened  in  the  mud,  nor  of  romantic  girls  sliding  against 
their  will  down  the  slippery  banks,  nor  of  the  fears 
and  tremors  in  leaping  from  a  ledge  of  rock  to  the 
boat.  We  were  at  last  seated,  the  sound  of  the  oars 
being  broken  only  by  laughter  or  the  soft-voiced 
daughter  of  song.  But  I,  the  only  one  upon  whom 
the  hand  of  time  had  been  laid,  felt  the  seriousness 
of  the  scene,  and  though  I  would  not  for  worlds  have 
checked  the  innocent  mirth  around  me,  I  could  not, 
without  tearful  eyes,  gaze  on  the  sacred  loveliness  of 
that  hour.  I  looked  to  the  great  and  beautiful  orb 
above  me  for  companionship,  and  my  thoughts  wan- 
dered  afar. 

DENNING'S  POINT,  FISHKILL. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  exquisite  combinations 
of  natural  beauty  is  here,  and  it  is  heightened  by  the 
hand  of  taste.  Gardens  in  luxurious  bloom — choice 
hot-house  plants — a  lawn  of  velvet  softness  on  one 
side  the  river,  on  the  other,  mountains  so  near  as  to 
look  down  upon  the  very  roses  of  the  garden — and 
then,  the  elegant  arrangement  within — books,  music, 
and  the  mind's  lighter  recreations. 

Can  I  leave  all  this,  and  give  one  word  to  the 
Matteawan  Cotton  Factory,  that  restless,  jarring 
world,  where  man  "  the  clothes  screen,"  is  in  his 
element  ? 

Every  thing  is  neat  in  the  building,  and  the  vil- 


NOTES   OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  71 

lage  looks  cheerful.  At  the  wedding,  which  I  attend- 
ed,  the  Factory  children  and  men  crowded  to  the  door, 
where  they  had  a  glimpse  of  the  fine  people  within. 
I  went  to  look  at  them  ;  there  was  a  perfect  sea  of 
faces^  though  the  rain  was  pouring.  How  much  did 
they  enjoy  our  ice-creams  ? 

WEST-POINT. 

Had  not  my  admiration  been  so  long  strained 
by  sights  of  beauty,  I  should  have  more  words  for 
this  enrapturing  scene.  I  have  drawn  my  writing, 
table  to  the  middle  window  at  the  back  of  the  hotel, 
the  point  of  view  that  so  many  artists  have  attempt, 
ed  (but  oh,  how  feebly)  with  their  best  powers.  The 
sun  has  just  rolled  behind  the  mountains,  and  as  I 
glance  from  my  paper,  every  moment  reveals  new 
shades  and  colours  in  the  sky  and  river. 

There  was  on  board  the  boat  as  we  came  here  this 
morning,  a  blind  German  harper,  and  a  young  girl 
who  sings.  They  are  supported  by  transient  listen. 
ers,  and  have  an  air  of  decency,  as  if  they  gained 
at  least  enough  for  externals  in  this  precarious  way. 
As  no  one  seemed  disposed  to  ask  them  to  sing,  I 
slipped  my  douceur  into  the  girl's  hand.  She  under- 
stood  it,  and  they  began  such  sweet  melody,  that  I  felt 
half  ashamed  that  such  a  trifle  should  be  repaid  by  so 
much  happiness  as  they  gave  me.  Only  think  of 
the  luxury  of  gliding  on  the  Hudson  to  the  sound  of 
the  harp  !  I,  who  love  to  give  up  to  fancies  when 
they  will  come,  thought  the  hills  moved  more  quickly 
to  the  Orpheus  notes.  It  was  better  to  look  at  them, 


72  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

by  the  way,  than  at  the  blind  man's  face  ;  his  gri- 
maces  were  horrible. 

We  reached  West-Point  about  two  o'clock,  and 
mounted  the  steep  and  romantic  ascent  to  the  hotel. 
Art  has  had  but  little  to  do  here ;  the  eye  is  at  onte  ar- 
rested by  nature,  and  as  there  is  nothing  in  bad  taste, 
the  simplicity  in  what  man  has  done  is  attractive. 
The  piazzas  are  commodious,  the  garden  pretty,  the 
walks  neat,  and  the  visitor  at  West-Point  asks  for 
nothing  more.  But  the  fare  at  the  hotel  is  not  so 
simple  a  thing :  art  there  is  busy  enough,  and  the 
sentimentalist  is  not  called,  as  at  some  of  the  Springs, 
to  live  on  the  elements  of  water  and  air.  The  at- 
tendance  is  excellent,  and  so  far  as  the  wants  of  the 
lower  animal  are  affected,  people  are  made  good- 
natured,  and  proceed  in  good  spirits  to  the  enjoy, 
ments  of  the  higher  nature.  After  tasting  many,  to 
us,  nameless  dishes,  we  sallied  forth  to  Koscius-ko's 
Garden.  The  word  garden  seems  to  be  a  misnomer, 
except  the  beetling  cliff  and  rugged  mountain  be  a 
warrior's  garden.  It  it  a  spot  of  wild  and  romantic 
interest,  and  thrills  the  heart  in  itself  and  in  its  as- 
sociations. The  monument  is  chaste,  and  is  digni- 
fied with  the  name  of  the  hero  alone. 

The  cadets  are  in  camp,  which  gives  life  and  re- 
ality to  the  parade  ground.  We  were  invited  to  re- 
pose in  a  tent,  and  examined  its  furniture  and  ar- 
rangements. Like  other  picturesque  objects,  it  looks 
best  at  a  distance ;  the  effect  of  the  whole  encamp- 
ment, however,  is  delightful.  It  occupies  a  large 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      73 

space  visible  from  the  hotel.  I  did  not  expect  to  see 
ladies  invited  to  go  so  freely  among  the  tents. 

The  evening  parade  is  animating,  and  the  music 
so  inexpressibly  fine,  one  would  be  willing  to  be  led 
by  it  to  "  victory  or  death  ;"  now  soft  and  clear  as 
the  note  of  a  bird,  then  swelling  out  in  perfect  gushes 
of  harmony — all  is  in  good  keeping ;  the  wide  car- 
pet  of  grass  mellowed  by  the  setting  sun,  the  pure 
white  of  the  tents  in  contrast — the  erect  forms  of 
the  cadets  moving  in  measured  time — the  encircling 
mountains  rising  like  a  heaven-formed  battery,  and 
the  evening  gun,  with  echo  upon  echo  pouring  forth 
the  mimic  volley,  till  it  dies  away,  and  the  military 
band  bursts  out  richly  on  the  closing  peal ! 

Darkness  came,  but,  led  by  the  novelty  of  the  scene, 
we  again  sought  the  parade  ground  ;  and  here  was  a 
change.  The  restraints  of  the  day  were  over,  and 
the  scene  became  animated  by  festivity.  Three 
times  a  week  the  band  perform,  but  this  was  not  one 
of  the  evenings,  and  as  a  substitute,  the  cadets  got 
up  their  own  music  themselves.  I  think  it  consisted 
of  a  violin,  tambourine,  and  drum.  I  do  not  know 
how  much  they  will  feel  flattered  when  I  say  I  fancied 
myself  at  home  among  our  negro  fiddlers  ;  at  any 
rate  there  was  music  enough  to  put  them  in  motion. 
Presently  were  seen  several  of  them  running  with 
short  pieces  of  lighted  candles,  which  they  stuck  in 
the  grass  in  a  row.  One  can  imagine  the  effect  of 
this  at  night.  The  ladies'  benches  were  placed  on 
one  side  of  the  lights  for  them,  as  spectators,  while  the 
young  men  danced  on  the  other.  I  confess  I  per- 


74      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

fectly  sympathized  with  Black  Hawk,  who  gave  one 
of  his  satisfied  grunts  at  this  scene  when  he  was  here. 
The  most  perfect  propriety  was  mingled  with  theii 
hilarity.  Yet  the  waltzing  of  these  upright  figures 
together  was  odd  enough.  The  contrast  between 
the  free,  graceful,  and  ludicrous  motions  of  the  dan- 
cers,  with  their  stiff,  measured,  statue-like  air  on  re- 
view, was  laughable ;  but  the  tatoo  was  beat  at  the 
early  hour  of  nine ;  ladies  and  cadets  retired,  and 
now  all  is  as  still  as  death  on  that  late  busy  spot. 
The  moon  has  risen  on  her  gorgeous  path  among  the 
mountains,  and  the  sentinels  only  mark  her  lonely 
beauty ;  for  no  voice  is  allowed  here  after  this 
hour. 

The  sumptuous  breakfast  over,  we  were  escorted 
to  the  parade  ground  to  see  the  guard  relieved,  and 
again  that  most  thrilling  music  bewitched  us  with  its 
melody. 

One  of  the  cadets  pointed  out  to  me  the  spot 
where,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  an  eagle  had  hovered 
awhile  and  then  soared  away.  The  circumstance 
awoke  within  me  the  following  associations  : 

THE  WEST-POINT  EAGLE. 
'Tis  Sabbath  morning;  o?er  the  tented  field, 
Wild  mountain,  rock,  and  grove,  the  silence  broods 
Which  nature  loves.     On  the  far-spreading  green, 
The  tread  of  martial  feet  is  hushed,  or  light ; 
A  serious  grace  chastens  the  soldier's  eye. 
The  clustered  tents  standln  still  sunshine,  white 
To  the  lone  hill-top  gazer,  as  the  flocks 
That  wait  the  shepherd's  call.     The  Hudson  sleeps ; 
The  sloop's  trim  sail  flaps  on  her  breezeless  way, 


NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  75 

And  gentle  ripples  swell  and  die  unheard. 
In  rugged  quietness  old  Putnam's  wall 
Ascends ;  the  Crow's  Nest  pillows  the  high  clouds. 
Ranges  of  nearer  hills  heave  up  to  heaven 
More  fixed  and  clear,  while  to  their  wooded  sides 
Green  shrubs  reposing  cling.     A  glittering  light 
Crowns  Kosciusko's  column,  like  his  fame. 
And  listen,  on  the  rocks  below  soft  fall 
Still  waters,  like  the  ceaseless  beat  the  heart 
Gives  to  its  country's  champions. 

But  behold,  i 

From  yonder  height  an  eagle  presses  on  ! 
Hither  he  bends,  with  pinions  spread,  and  cuts 
The  azure  sky  ;  and  now  above  the  plain 
He  wheels,  and  now  the  rushing  of  his  wing 
Is  heard  careering  o'er  the  silent  tefits. 
Like  a  keen  sentinel  his  quick  eye  darts 
A  glance  around,  then  with  majestic  sweep 
He  cleaves  the  air,  and  o'er  the  mountain's  crest 
Fades  his  dark  form. 

-Why  com'st  thou,  noble  bird  1 
To  note  if  all  is  well  with  those  who  hail 
Thee  as  their  emblem  1 

Loyal  youths  1  behold  ! 
Look  ye  to  this ;  slight  not  the  sacred  sign  ; 
But  when  the  eagle  of  your  country  comes, 
Flapping  his  bold  wing  on  your  listening  ear, 
Still  may  he  find  you  thus,  as  on  this  morn  ; 
A  sabbath  calmness  resting  on  your  souls, 
And  strengthrunboasting,  in  each  God-nerved  arm. 

The  next  thing  was  to  visit  Fort  Putnam.  Our 
Southern  party  looked  up  with  a  kind  of  alarm  at  its 
distant  walls,  but  after  all  only  rested  twice  on  the 
way.  It  is  a  noble,  exquisite  scene  ;  but  I  could  not 
sympathize  with.  Fanny  Kemble's  tears  on  the  same 


76  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

spot ;  to  me  there  was  rather  a  soothing  association 
in  those  far-spread  hills,  like  a  modulated  harmony. 
I  forget  the  particulars  of  her  description,  but  1  think 
it  was  thero  she  wept  simply  at  nature  ;  but  who 
shall  compare  their  feelings  a  moment  with  her  rapid 
and  ever- varying  impulses  ?  One  might  as  well  as- 
similate  the  smoke  of  a  hamlet  with  the  changing 
vapors  on  these  glorious  mountains.  We  returned 
to  the  hotel,  where  some  sweet  private  music  soothed 
our  fatigue. 

Among  other  things,  the  courteous  and  graceful 
manners  of  the  cadets  should  not  be  forgotten.  In 
almost  all  other  large  associations  of  young  men, 
this  charm  is  lost,  but  the  discipline  of  West  Point 
recognizes  the  gentleman  in  the  soldier. 

I  found  some  of  the  novices,  plebs  they  are  called, 
home-sick,  and  weary  with  their  discipline.  I  saw 
several  poor  fellows  under  arrest,  some  of  them  for 
offences  of  ignorance  only.  Of  course  this  is  all 
right.  But  what  a  change  to  a  young  Southerner, 
for  instance,  who  has  been  on  horseback,  the  freest 
position  in  the  world,  scouring  the  wide  fields  from 
boyhood,  to  this  limited  scene  and  strict  discipline! 
Not  a  word  above  a  whisper  spoken  after  nine  o'clock, 
nor  a  step  taken  beyond  a  certain  point  without  a 
written  permission,  and  the  soft  bed  exchanged  for 
boards.  If  this  is  right,  ought  not  our  domestic  dis- 
cipline  to  conform  to  it  ?  Is  not  the  change  too  ab- 
rupt ?  To  think  how  old  the  world  is,  and  yet  \ve 
cannot  say  to  any  given  form  of  early  education,  this 
is  right — this  will  best  fit  us  for  life  and  for  eternity  ! 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.          77 

FISHKILL. — EVENING. 

The  Albany,  in  which  we  returned,  is  the  most  beau- 
tiful boat  I  have  seen.  In  place  of  the  pannels  be- 
tween  the  windows  in  the  dining  cabin  are  pictures — 
striking  and  interesting  views  of  natural  scenery  and 
groups.  I  could  not  examine  them,  for  the  warning 
bell  for  Newburgh  soon  sounded ;  we  landed,  and  the 
noble  boat,  crowded  with  passengers,  passed  on.  To- 
morrow  we  are  to  ascend  the  mountain  called  the 
North  Beacon,  which  has  a  carriage-road  to  within 
half  a  mile  of  its  summit.  Fort  Putnam  is  but  a 
baby  to  this  giant. 

TKOY. 

Our  excursion  to  the  mountains  at  Fishkill  was 
defeated  by  the  morning  mists,  but  we  were  recom- 
pensed by  a  gorgeous  storm,  the  first  I  had  seen  in 
the  highlands.  I  watched  it  as  it  came  on.  New- 
burgh  lay  in  sight,  with  its  white  houses  and  spires 
glittering  like  a  gem  set  in  the  green  hills.  The 
gust  moved  with  the  tread  of  a  giant ;  step  by  step  it 
trod  over  the  mountains,  village,  and  river,  conquering 
and  to  conquer,  until  a  long  dark  range  was  formed 
in  the  heaves  of  black  cloud  against  a  sky  of  blue  ; 
it  stood  before  us  awhile  in  mighty  stillness,  then 
came  a  rush  of  wind,  the  rain  fell,  and  the  green 
leaves  flew  like  autumn  foliage. 

The  rain,  I  confess,  was  not  the  sheeted  mass  of  a 
Carolina  shower  ;  for  a  true  specimen  of  an  outpour- 
ing of  the  elements,  give  me  a  Southern  thunder  gust. 
Sirams  has  described  one  well  in  the  Partisan,  Other 
7* 


78  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

rain  in  comparison,  (as  I  heard  a  Western  Senator 
say  of  a  NewJEngland  stream  in  contrast  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi,  with  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand  bent  up,  and 
the  palm  hollowed  as  if  it  might  hold  it,)  is  "  a  cup 
full."  "Sir,  the  gentleman's  river  is  but  a  tea-cup 
full !" 

The  patriotism  of  gunpowder  was  astir  at  twelve 
o'clock  on  the  4th,  and  sleep  was  driven  from  the 
usually  quiet  pillows  at  Fishkill.  Our  ladies  could 
only  testify  their  national  ardor  by  wreathing  an  ad- 
ditional flower  in  their  hair  through  the  day,  and  the 
gentlemen  by  a  little  extra  idleness ;  but  at  night  not 
all  New-York,  with  its  crowd  and  gardens,  present- 
ed a  more  animated  spectacle  than  we  with  our  six 
rockets  and  countless  bundles  of  crackers.  Here 
were  the  unstudied,  unchecked  shouts  and  laughter 
of  woodland  excitement ;  the  shriek  of  the  young 
girl,  as  the  report  was  roguishly  sounded  in  her  ear 
— the  playful  retort — the  first  attempt  to  conquer 
fear — -the  sudden  relinquishment  at  the  whizz  of  the 
cracker — the  rush  as  our  few  treasured  rockets  shot 
up  triumphantly — merry  hearts  gathering  around  the 
fruit  repast,  and  Alight  feet  treading  the  sudden  dance. 
Desecrated  day  !  would  that  it  could  close  on-  all  as 
innocently ! 

We  left  beautiful  Fishkill  on  the  5th,  in  the 
steam-boat  Albany,  for  Troy.  A  passenger,  who 
proved  a  friend,  favoured  me  with  the  first  volume 
of  Dewey's  Journal,  "  The  Old  World  and  the  New," 
and  the  day  flew  by  swiftly,  in  alternately  dwelling 
on  its  pages  and  the  scenery  before  me.  I  recog. 


NOTES    OP   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  79 

nized  in  the  work  the  same  ardent  love  and  hope 
for  the  human  race  which  characterize  his  sermon 
on  the  Moral  Influence  of  Cities,  which  I  was  for- 
tunate enough  to  hear  delivered  in  New-York. 
Though  gratified  by  the  sketches  in  the  first  volume, 
I  felt  the  deficiency  to  which  the  most  delicate  and 
conscientious  travellers  are  obnoxious.  The  more 
refined  the  individual,  the  less  will  he  unveil  that 
delicious  gossip  which  reveals  public  and  private 
character  ;  he  is  obliged  to  generalize,  and  thus  is 
lost  the  colouring  which  makes  the  letters  of  the 
heart  so  interesting.  Mr.  Dewey  has  deliberately 
avoided  the  temptation,  and  the  chief  attraction  of 
his  book,  now  that  every  one  knows  Europe  like 
Broadway,  is  in  his  own  philosophical  views.  I 
was  called  from  his  important  discussion  on  the 
state  of  religion  in  this  country,  to  look  at  the  town 
of  Hudson.  I  have  not  seen,  on  the  whole,  a  more 
beautifully  situated  spot.  It  commands  the  Cats- 
kill  mountains,  and  the  river  in  front ;  a  graceful 
wooded  hill  on  one  side,  and  a  promenade  of  great 
local  beauty  on  the  qther.  The  only  interest  I  had 
in  the  place  was  the  recollection  of  the  journal  call- 
ed  the  Rural  Repository,  a  successful  periodical, 
which  has  often  met  my  eye,  neat  in  its  appearance 
and  judicious  in  its  selections.  Soon  after  passing 
Hudson  we  met  a  gaily  decorated  steamer,  a  relic 
of  the  fourth,  with  streamers  flying  and  music  play, 
ing  ;  they  gave  us  a  salute  on  one  side,  while  a 
troop  of  boys  swimming  popped  their  heads  out  of 
the  water,  and  hurraed  on  the  other. 


80       NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

We  arrived  at  the  Troy  House,  wearied  enough, 
at  the  close  of  this  burning  day.  Our  supper  was 
in  an  immense  hall,  just  vacated  by  the  military, 

"  Where  Trojans,  Dardans,  and  auxiliar  bands 
Still  take  refreshment  as.  the  hour  demands." 

We  were  not  in  the  best  humour  for  the  fumes 
that  assailed  u§,  after  being  spoiled,  as  we  had  been, 
by  private  hospitality  ever  since  our  departure 
from  home.  Oh,  the  crowded  loneliness  of  those 
forties,  "  feeding  like  one,"  at  the  immense  tables  ! 

I  retired  to  a  close  and  unhome-like  bed-room,  and 
wrote  the 

SONG  OF  THE  WANDERER. 

There  are  sweet  plants  springing  around  my  house, 

But  /cannot  cull  their  flowers! 
There  are  green  walks  asking  the  feet  to  roam, 

Where  the  sun  has  kissed  off  the  showers ! 

The  wild  birds  are  singing  familiar  lays, 

But  /cannot  hear  their  trilling  ; 
The  water-fall  still  on  the  river  plays, 

But  it  wakes  not  my  bosom's  thrilling. 

The  moonlight  sleeps  upon  rocking  leaves, 

But  I  cannot  watch  their  motion  ! 
The  night  air  freshly  the  light  cloud  weaves, 

But  I  am  far  over  the  ocean  ! 

Sunny  smiles  rest  on  the  lips  of  friends, 

But  I  am  not  there  to  greet  them ; 
And  many  a  hand  in  welcome  extends, 

But  my  hand  is  not  there  to  meet  them  ! 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      81 

Yet  in  Him  who  rules  over  that  fairy  home, 

My  lone  heart  is  still  confiding, 
Since  wherever  on  earth  my  footsteps  roam, 

I  feel  the  Eternal  presiding. 

But  I  was  not  long  left  to  make  home-sick  rhymes. 
Open-eyed  and  ready-handed  hospitality  awaited 
us  there,  as  elsewhere,  ready  to  strew  our  path  with 
flowers,  and  among  the  first  pleasures  was  a  visit 
to  the  Cohoes  Falls.  The  romantic  interest  of  the 
access  is  somewhat  diminished  by  the  utilitarians 
who  have  gathered  about  it ;  but  when  standing  in 
front  of  the  cataract,  nothing  is  visible  but  the 
wildness  of  nature,  harmonizing  well  with  its  cease- 
less voice  and  ceaseless  flow  ;  and,  though  not  ab- 
solutely a  spectacle  of  grandeur,  yet  the  thought  of 
Deity,  which  a  waterfall  almost  necessarily  awakens 
in  a  reflecting  mind,  comes  over  one  in  solemn  reverie. 

I  have  never  seen  canal  navigation  before,  and 
here  the  very  majesty  of  canal-ism  dwells,  wielding 
his  lazy  sceptre  over  the  Erie  and  Champlain  chan- 
nels. There  is  a  remarkable  variety  of  objects 
along  this  little  region.  The  cars  whirl  by  on  the 
Troy  and  Ballston  rail-road,  mocking  the  slow 
canal  boats,  that  peep  up  from  the  banks  like  tor- 
toises ;  while  small  boats — for  no  craft  of  importance 
can  navigate  here — glide  over  the  diminished  Hud- 
son, seen  among  the  emerald  islands  that  diversify 
its  tranquil  stream. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  beauty  of  our  drive  from 
the  Falls.  A  sudden  shower  had  dressed  nature  in 
a  fresher  robe  of  green  and  diamonds ;  a  sunset 


82     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

rainbow  formed  a  glorious  arch  over  the  villages  of 
Lansingburgh  and  Waterford,  relieved  by  the  sweep 
of  hills  beyond  ;  while  the  sun  gave  a  yellow  tinge  to 
the  fields,  sparkled  on  the  river,  and  even  lit  up  the 
canal  with  its  parting  glory. 

I  visited  with  great  pleasure  the  Troy  Female 
Seminary,  and  was  indebted  to  Mrs.  Willard's  po- 
liteness for  an  opportunity  of  seeing  all  the  young 
ladies  assembled,  amounting  to  upwards  of  two  him- 
dred,  in  one  apartment,  which  only  occurs  once  a 
week  for  the  purpose  of  reading  the  compositions. 
Mrs.  Willard's  plan  to  improve  the  style  and  judg- 
ment of  her  pupils  is,  that  they  should  read  a  selec- 
tion from  some  approved  author  alternately  with  the 
original  pieces.  I  was  more  gratified  by  this  exhi- 
bition than  I  should  'have  been  with  one  of  mere 
memory.  Where  I  find  a  school  of  animated,  under- 
standing  readers,  I  should  be  willing  to  trust  the  in- 
tellect of  a  child.  The  young  ladies  here,  in  empha- 
sis and  deliberation,  gave  a  valuable  testimony  to 
the  judgment  of  their  superintendent.  The  general 
air  of  the  scholars  was  graceful  ;  and  the  teachers, 
whom  I  saw  mare  familiarly,  possessed  that  refine- 
ment of  manner  so  important  in  feminine  culture. 
The  harp,  piano,  and  vocal  performances,  were  in 
good  taste. 

According  to  my  usual  plan  of  following  up  the 
associations  of  a  place,  I  looked  into  Mrs.  Willard's 
journal  in  Europe.  Her  design  in  travelling,  was 
to  inspect,  as  far  as  possible,  European  systems  of 
education,  and  the  proceeds  of  her  book  were  given 


NOTES    OF    A   NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  88 

to  the  object  of  female  instruction  among  the  Greeks ; 
two  things  so  highly  creditable,  as  to  need  no  com- 
mentary beyond  the  mention  of  the  facts.  The  zeal 
and  cheerfulness  of  this  lady  make  her  a  beautiful 
model,  as  a  teacher  of  youth,  an  office  too  often  de- 
graded by  its  being  thought  mere  labor.  It  grieves 
me  to  see  people  embark  in  this  great  object  like  con- 
victs, when  the  free  spirit  of  hope  and  love  ought  to 
guide  them. 

I  was  happy  to  observe  ladies  over  twenty  years 
of  age  being  educated  for  teachers.  I  have  some- 
times thought  no  one  should  be  authorized  to  in- 
struct, who  could  not  produce  a  certificate  from  some 
authorized  body  on  the  Prussian  system.  Error  is 
deplorably  perpetuated  in  this  country  by  the  igno- 
rance of  teachers. 

We  shall  have  no  thoroughly  instructed  women 
while  schools  are  so  fluctuating  ;  the  progress  of  a 
girl's  education  in  most  of  our  cities,  is  like  the  frog's 
in  the  well.  We  should  have  national  establish- 
ments. How  is  the  system  of  the  Troy  Female 
Seminary  to  be  perpetuated  when  the  intelligent 
head  that  now  presides  there  is  withdrawn  ?  What 
security  is  there  for  its  perpetuity  ? 

We  rode  to  Albany  over  the  macadamised  road, 
which  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  the  country,  and  is 
delightfully  free  from  the  Washington  annoyance  of 
dust.  This  city,  in  its  exterior,  which  was  all  we 
saw,  is  a  heterogeneous  mixture  of  elegance  and 
awkwardness ;  the  old  Dutch  slanting  roofs  mingle 
oddly  enough  with  the  tinned  domes  and  towers  of 


84      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

more  modern  structure.  We  tried  in  vain,  in  a  dili- 
gent drive  through  the  streets,  to  find  a  music  store, 
though  doubtless  they  are  there. 

SARATOGA. 

We  left  Troy  at  10  o'clock  in  the  commodious 
cars  for  this  place.  What  a  contrast  are  these  airy 
and  convenient  conveyances  to  the  Camden  and 
Amboy  rail-road  cars  !  The  rush  of  porters  on  our 
arrival,  exceeded  any  thing  I  have  met  with  else- 
where ;  the  shouts  were  perfectly  bewildering,  as 
they  recommended  the  different  hotels  to  which  they 
were  attached.  The  U.  S.  hotel,  in  which  we  are 
located,  is  at  present  the  most  crowded,  and  perhaps 
fashionable  ;  though  I  understand  some  of  the  others 
have  better  sleeping  rooms  and  better  fare.  It  is  in 
vain  to  write  here  ;  there  is  something  in  the  tone  of 
things  that  prevents  all  fixedness  of  attention.  It 
is  enough  to  look  at  people  dressed  up  for  show. — 
There  is  a  lovely  demi-French  family  of  celebrity, 
with  five  attendants  and  their  foreign  friends, — a 
Northern  Senator,  "  the  observed  of  all  observers," 
about  whom  the  Bostonians  cluster  ;  there  is  a  Caro- 
lina party,  &c.,  &c.  A  foreigner  sits  in  front  of 
me,  who  appears  to  associate  with  respectable  peo- 
ple, wearing  a  dark  check  shirt,,  without  a  vest,  and 
whose  mustachioes  surpass  by  many  degrees  the  most 
extravagant  American  standard.  Near  me  is  an 
American  lady,  with  gold  cable  watch-chain  and 
ear-rings,  and  silver  comb  and  buckle  ;  but,  gene- 
rally speaking,  there  is  an  air  of  propriety  throughout 


- 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  85 

this  large  concourse,  the  manners  of  the  ladies  are 
discreet,  their  dresses  modest,  and  the  men  are  unas- 
suming. 

A  paper  was  circulated  yesterday,  at  dinner,  pro- 
posing  a  "  hop"  in  the  evening  ;  signatures  appeared 
to  be  easily  gained,  and  at  eight  o'clock  our  fine  hall 
was  lit  up  brilliantly,  and  a  full  band  began  the  pre- 
liminary notes.  The  affair  went  off  languidly,  no 
one  group  was  large  enough  to  form  sets,  and  none 
amalgamated.  The  demi-French  and  foreigners  only 
danced,  and  they  made  but  one  cotillion.  It  was 
very  warm,  to  be  sure,  but  that  had  not  prevented  the 
joyous  unceremonious  couples  at  Fishkill  from  "  tir- 
ing each  other  down,"  as  gaily  as  if  it  had  been  Christ- 
mas eve.  Notwithstanding  -the  lively  exterior  of 
things  at  Saratoga,  there  are  more  forlorn  looking 
people  than  I  ever  met  with,  if  you  watch  faces ; 
and  there  is  nothing  in  the  whole  compass  of  yawns 
like  a  Saratoga  yawn,  if  you  hear  one  when  a  gaper 
is  off  his  guard.  The  whole  man  is  stretched, 
inwardly  and  outwardly.  Let  no  one  who  values 
a  small  mouth  risk  a  gape  at  the  Springs.  Still,  it 
is  a  glorious  place,  and  in  fifty  years,  palaces,  and 
fountains,  and  gardens  will  burst  forth  on  its  now 
rude  location,  and  rival  in  beauty  the  healing  power 
with  which  God  has  blessed  it  so  richly.  The  site 
of  the  Congress  springs,  naturally  beautiful,  is  be- 
ginning now  to  assume  an  air  of  improvement.  It  is 
capable  of  tasteful"  ornament.  A  circular  pleasure 
rail-road  surrounds  a  grove  on  the  hill,  with  a  car, 
8 


86     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

where  two  persons  can  sit  together,  and  propel  them- 
selves. 

We  strayed  out  yesterday  to  the  nearest  church. 
The  Sabbath  is  very  dear  to  me  amid  the  throng  of 
strangers,  and  I  would  not  miss  its  privileges.  The 
church,  neat  externally,  proved  to  be  of  the  Baptist 
denomination,  and  was  attended  by  the  more  labo- 
rious classes.  A  stranger  preached  with  animation 
and  earnestness  ;  but  as  I  glanced  my  eye  round,  I 
found  two  thirds  of  the  men  and  several  women 
asleep ;  they  were  probably  rendered  drowsy  by 
their  unaccustomed  quiet  attitude.  Being  wide 
awake,  and  most  of  our  party,  from  principle  and 
feeling,  having  the  habit  of  attention  at  church,  the 
pastor's  attention  was  attracted  to  us,  and  he  lite- 
rally fixed  his  eyes  upon  our  group  until  some  of  us 
were  embarrassed.  The  style  of  music  and  the 
bass-viol  reminded  me  of  my  early  years,  and  the 
sounding  of  the  key-note  awoke  a  long  strain  of  the 
melody  of  memory. 

We  left  the  drawing-room  of  the  hotel  as  crowded 
after  dinner  as  if  there  were  no  bell  summoning  us 
to  the  house  of  prayer,  and  went  to  the  Presbyterian 
church.  A  South  Carolinian  preached  on  the  ad- 
mirable theme,  a  well-balanced  Christian  character. 
In  the  course  of  his  discourse,  he  said  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  a  particular  Church  of  Christ  on 
«arth.  The  Church  of  Christ  was  composed  of  in- 
dividuals of  every  denomination,  who  obeyed  his 
precepts.  Neither  of  the  gentlemen  alluded  to  the 
character  of  the  place.  They  had  probably  good 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.       87 

reasons  to  decline  appropriating  the  healing  power 
of  the  Springs  to  the  illustration  of  religious  truth. 

We  visited,  this  evening,  Saratoga  Lake.  It  is 
a  placid  spot,  about  five  miles  from  the  Springs. 
A  boat  lies  temptingly  ready  for  ladies  of  the  lake 
and  their  Douglasses.  Our  party  entered  one, 
and  rowed  across  to  a  floating  fishing-house,  where, 
unexpectedly  to  ourselves,  we  became  engaged, 
and  successfully,  as  a  "piscatorial  party."  The 
first  fish  one  of  us  caught  was  of  that  species  which 
Cuvier  has  named  after  Dr.  Holbrook  of  our  city. 
I  forget  what  the  name  is.  What  can  be  said  in  a 
journal  when  one's  carnages  roll  along  over  good 
roads,  when  boats  are  safe,  and  waters  clear,  and 
skies  blue,  and  fish  willing  to  come  to  the  hook,  and 
company  good-humoured?  Absolutely  nothing. 
One  can  only  fold  arms  quietly,  be  grateful,  and 
fall  asleep,  or  make  verses  like  these  : 

SARATOGA  LAKE. 

O'er  Saratoga's  bright  lake  we  row, 
Bathed  in  the  light  of  the  sunset  glow; 
We  dip  our  oars  in  the  placid  wave, 
Our  hands  in  the  rippling  current  lave. 

There's  scarce  a  cloud  in  the  summer  blue 
Save  one  lit  up  with  a  rosy  hue, 
Like  the  smile  that  flits  o'er  a  tranquil  face 
Lending  its  softness  a  richer  grace. 

The  shore  is  near  with  its  girdle  green  ; 
The  dim-eyed  mountains  look  far  between ; 


88      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

The  twittering  bird  is  heard  on  the  bough, 
And  the  shining  fish  are  chased  by  our  prow. 

Light  jests  fall  sportive  from  hearts  at  ease, 
As  buds  that  burst  in  the  spring's  warm  breeze, 
And  our  laugh  o'er  the  silent  water  swells, 
Like  fountain  music  in  echoing  dells. 

No  traitor-tears  for  the  absent  rise, 

Though  deep  in  our  hearts  their  image  lies, 

But  a  light  from  the  thought  of  their  love  upsprings, 

Like  that  which  is  ushered  by  angel  wings. 

Oh !   Saratoga's  fair  lake,  adieu, 
With  thy  placid  waves  and  thy  sky  of  blue  ! 
Soft  thoughts  arise  with  thy  evening  ray, 
They  are  thoughts  of  our  home — away  !  away  ! 

UTICA.  (N.  Y.) 

We  left  the  Springs,  saddened  by  the  thoughts  of 
parting  with  companions  who  had  lent  a  charm  to 
our  visit  there.  I  closed  my  eyes  in  the  car  for  a 
while,  and  the  images  of  the  past  week  flitted  by. 
There  was  the  graceful  foreign  party,  who  had  excit- 
ed passing  wonder  ;  their  fair  girls  and  boys  floating 
in  the  waltz,  or  the  elder  members  attracting  admi- 
ration by  Italian  or  French  music,  and  their  very 
motions  watched  as  they  promenaded  the  spacious 
piazza  ;  there  were  various  other  groups  ;  but  amid 

many   pictures,   the    Senator   from  was   the 

leading  object,  moving  among  the  motley  crowd 
among  them,  but  not  (apparently)  of  them.  A 
lady  remarked  to  me,  that  when  she  looked  on 
his  forehead,  it  reminded  her  of  Niagara  ;  and  there 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  89 

is  really  the  difference  between  his  head  and  those 
of  common  men,  that  exists  between  the  giant  of 
the  waters  and  minor  cascades.  This  individual 
is  remarkable  for  looking  neither  to  the  right 
nor  left ;  a  slight  acquaintance  must  meet  him  right 
ahead  to  stand  a  chance  of  recognition ;  and  not 
lay  it  to  the  account  of  pride,  because,  when  per- 
ceived, he  will  receive  a  gentle  and  courteous  ad- 
dress. This  habit,  however,  contrasted  the  indivi- 
dual singularly  with  others  at  the  Springs,  whose 
heads  appeared  to  turn  on  pivots  in  their  zeal  to  re- 
cognize and  be  recognized. 

Our  car  illustrated  the  American  cacoethes  for 
travelling.  There  wajja.  lady  accompanying  two  lads, 
her  sons,  in  their  vacation,  and  a  young  man  from 
a  straw-bonnet  establishment  in  the  Eastern  States, 
and  our  own  party,  all  rushing  to  the  Falls  as  a 
matter  of  taste  ! 

We  saw  nothing  of  Schenectady,  passing  directly 
into  a  canal-boat,  which,  being  a  novelty,  we  wished 
to  test.  Upwards  of  forty  persons  were  crowded 
into  this  small  space,  there  being  no  restriction  as  in 
stages.  Why  not?  Why  should  these  boats  be 
crowded  indiscriminately  1  Fortunately  for  us  the 
company  were  respectable.  Groups  were  soon  form- 
ed, and  various  occupations  commenced.  A  very 
young  lady  near  me  produced  a  perfectly  new  blank 
book,  a  travelling  inkstand,  the  brass  of  which  was 
beautifully  bright,  and  a  nice  steel  pen.  Her  first 
inquiry  of  her  father  was,  at  what  hour  they  started 
from  home,  and  the  precise  moment  when  they  enter. 
8* 


90  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

ed  the  boat.  A  disagreement  of  some  minutes  in 
their  calculations,  put  her  to  a  dead  stand,  and  she 
sat  biting  the  handle  of  her  pen.  As  I  glanced  at 
her,  from  time  to  time,  for  the  next  two  hours,  she 
was  hammering  away  at  her  brain.  At  length  I  de- 
tected sundry  discolorations  on  her  pure  manuscript, 
to  the  amount  of  half  a  page. 

It  was  impossible  to  go  in  the  sun  on  deck,  and 
the  air  was  suffocating  below.  I  was  giving  myself  up 
patiently  to  suffering  with  the  traveller's  lonely  feel- 
ing, which  is  sometimes  so  strong,  if  bodily  exercise 
is  suspended,  when  a  gentleman  in  one  of  the  parties 
commenced  reading  The  Deformed  in  The  Old  Men's 
Tales,  aloud.  I  soon  became^pterested  in  the  story, 
which  was  new  to  me  ;  beguiled  by  the  charm  of  the 
narrative  and  his  spirited  manner,  I  listened  until 
tears  were  making  their  way  to  my  eyes  ;  one  must 
not  weep  before  strangers,  so  I  withdrew  to  a  little  dis- 
tance, where  I  could  see  the  group  without  hearing 
the  voice  of  the  reader.  The  ladies  struggled  bravely 
with  the  pathos  of  the  story,  much  more  so  than  I 
could  have  done :  but  I  saw  their  eye-lids  partially 
close,  their  mouths  work  with  a  slight  muscular  con- 
traction, .and  their  fingers  busy  with  a  glove  or 
handkerchief.  I  heard  the  attempted  jest  to  depre- 
cate the  charge  of  tears,  and  the  scene  was  fairly 
winding  up,  when  we  were  summoned  to  dine. 

Every  thing  connected  with  this  mode  of  convey- 
ance had  been  disagreeable,  but  the  long  day  at 
last  rolled  by,  and  we  went  on  deck  to  see  the  set- 
ting  sun.  When  it  is  possible  to  be  on  deck,  canal 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      91 

navigation  is  pleasant  enough.  I  do  not  at  all  ob- 
ject to  the  bobbing  one's  head  down  at  the  bridges — 
it  is  somewhat  exciting,  and  I  dare  say  gave  the 
young  steel-pen  journalist  an  idea.  When  we  are 
all  prostrated,  I  always  peep  about  to  see  how  comi- 
cally every  body  looks,  and  get  up  convulsed  with 
laughter.  The  constant  passing  and  overtaking 
other  boats  is  agreeable ;  the  scenery  is  sometimes 
beautiful,  as  on  this  evening,  between  Schenectady 
and  Utica  ;  passing  the  locks,  too,  has  its  attraction 
from  the  bustle,  and  the  thought  of  man's  power  over 
the  elements  ;  but  I  felt  deep  loneliness  and  dejection 
on  this  route.  My  heart  was  saddened  with  a  stran- 
ger's sadness  ;  the  sunset  on  the  mountains  seemed 
dim,  and  colored  not  up  my  fancy  as  it  was  wont, 
like  the  twilight  clouds.  I  felt  as  if  even  health 
could  not  compensate  for  the  severing  of  domestic 
ties,  and  longed  to  press  the  young  forms  to  my 
heart  that  had  lain  there  from  infancy.  The  sun 
sank  behind  the  hills — a  gloom,  corresponding  to  my 
feelings,  spread  over  creation,  the  fire-flies  came  out 
like  thoughtless  companions,  as  if  they  could  cheer 
the  darkness  with  their  flitting  ray,  and  a  few  stars 
took  their  station  between  the  clouds.  At  this  pe- 
riod a  song  was  heard  from  the  centre  of  the  deck 
— two  exquisite  female  voices,  accompanied  by  one 
of  manly  richness.  The  air  was  plaintive,  and  the 
notes  scientifically  modulated.  I  was  refreshed  and 
soothed,  and  gave  this  tribute  to  the  scene : 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

MUSIC  ON  THE  CANAL. 

1  was  weary  with  the  day-light, 

I  was  weary  with  the  shade, 
And  my  heart  became  still  sadder, 

As  the  stars  their  light  betrayed; 
I  sickened  at  the  ripple, 

As  the  lazy  boat  went  on, 
And  felt  as  though  a  friend  was  lost 

When  the  twilight  ray  was  gone. 

The  meadows  in  a  fire-fly  glow, 

Looked  gay  to  happy  eyes ; 
To  me  they  beamed  but  mournfully, 

My  heart  was  cold  with  sighs. 
They  seemed,  indeed,  like  summer  friends ; — 

Alas,  no  warmth  had  they  ! 
I  turned  in  sorrow  from  their  glare, 

Impatiently  away. 

And  tear  drops  gathered  in  my  eyes, 

And  rolled  upon  my  cheek, 
And  when  the  voice  of  mirth  was  heard, 

I  had  no  heart  to  speak. 
I  longed  to  press  my  children 

To  my  sad  and  homesick  breast, 
And  feel  the  constant  hand  of  love 

Caressing  and  carest, 

And  slowly  went  my  languid  pulse 

As  the  slow  canal  boat  goes ; 
And  I  felt  the  pain  of  weariness, 

And  sighed  for  home's  repose ; 
And  laughter  seemed  a  mockery, 

And  joy  a  fleeting  breath, 
And  life  a  dark  volcanic  crust 

That  crumbles  over  death. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      93 

But  a  strain  of  sweetest  melody 

Arose  upon  my  ear, 
The  blessed  sound  of  woman's  voice, 

That  Angels  love  to  hear  ! 
And  manly  tones  of  tenderness 

Were  mingled  with  the  song, 
A  father's  with  his  daughter's  notes, — 

The  gentle  with  the  strong. 

And  my  thoughts  began  to  soften, 

Like  snows  when  waters  fall, 
And  open,  as  the  frost-closed  buds 

When  spring's  young  breezes  call ; 
While  to  my  faint  and  weary  soul 

A  better  hope  was  given, 
And  all  once  more  was  bright  with  faith, 

'Twixt  heart,  and  earth,  and  heaven. 


We  sat  on  deck  until  ten  o'clock,  and  then  what 
a  change  to  our  cabin,  three  tiers  deep,  with  berths 
each  side  !  But  the  difficulty  of  moving  an  elbow 
was  mitigated  by  the  perfect  good  humor  of  the  com- 
pany — complaint  was  a  mere  outbreak  of  witty  re- 
monstrance.  The  same  good-natured  feeling  go- 
verned us  as  I  had  perceived  in  a  man  who  was 
alighting  from  a  crowded  coach  in  the  morning,  when 
he  said :  "  We  are  so  mixed  up,  I  can't  pick  myself 
out."  Are  the  scenes  I  have  witnessed  really  among 
the  same  population  which  English  travellers  have  de- 
scribed  ?  Am  I  dreaming,  when  I  find  only  courtesy 
among  the  cultivated  and  quietness  among  other 
classes  ?  I  confess,  however,  to  the  tobacco- horrors 
on  board  the  North  River  steam-boats.  Why  can- 
not  this  be  remedied  as  well  as  smoking,  by  cards  ? 


94      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Let  the  warning  label  appear  in  boats,  hotels,  &c. 
— No  spitting  allowed  here.  This  would  open  many 
an  unconscious  eye,  or  shut  many  an  unconscious 
mouth  ;  for  1  believe  the  spitters  are  as  unconscious 
in  their  offences  as  Carlyle's  virtuous  people  are  in 
their  goodness. 

We  arrived  at  Utica  in  time  to  take  a  coach  for 
the  day  to  Trenton  Falls.  The  drive  of  two  hours 
and  a  half  was  rough,  and  there  is  only  one  very 
picturesque  view  on  the  way.  It  is  an  eminence 
from  which  Utica  appears  to  very  great  advantage, 
as  it  lies  peacefully  on  the  Mohawk ;  the  bustle  of 
the  canals,  and  rail-roads,  and  turnpikes,  which  are 
rendering  it  so  important  an  inland  city,  unheard. 

I  had  seen  pictures  of  Trenton  Falls.  Pictures  ? 
Mockeries  !  The  very  best  of  them  no  more  tell 
their  character,  than  a  drop  of  water  describes  an 
ocean.  Here  is  not  one  fall  alone,  but  a  succession, 
that  takes  the  eye  with  delicious  surprise.  Just  as 
the  heart  has  ceased  to  beat  with  the  grandeur  of 
one  view,  a  few  steps  show  another,  almost  more 
beautiful.  It  seemed  to  me  that  nature  had  prepar- 
ed a  great  dioramic  display  for  man.  I  fancied 
that  unseen  spirits  occupied  those  cliffs,  towering 
above,  as  spectators  of  the  gorgeous  scene  ;  and  there 
is  one  spot  where  the  prince  of  the  falls  must  revel. 
Those  who  have  visited  the  place,  will  remember  how 
they  looked  up  with  awe  to  that  rocky,  overhanging 
throne.  And  do  they  remember  a  seat  jutting  out  be- 
tween two  cascades,  and  will  they  not  believe  with 
me,that  some  beautiful  form  sits  there,  invisible,  twin- 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      95 

ing  her  hair,  which  falls  in  the  surf,  with  her  own 
arbor  vitae  leaves,  and  gracing  her  fair  cold  brow  with 
crystals  from  her  own  rocks,  while  she  glances  up- 
ward to  the  monarch  on  the  cliff,  who  now  hurls 
down  the  severed  mass,  or  bathes  in  the  misty  show- 
ers that  rise  from  its  palace  of  waters  ? 

The  sympathy  to  which  I  have  long  been  accus- 
tomed in  joy  and  sorrow,  was  not  near  me  at  Tren- 
ton Falls,  and  I  was  comparatively  lonely  ;  for  youth 
seldom  fully  sympathises  with  the  deeper  feelings  of 
maturer  years  ;  perhaps  this  added  to  a  wild  delight, 
entirely  new  to  me.  As  my  companions  advanced, 
1  was  left  once  or  twice  alone.  I  cried  out  to  the 
rocks  and  waters  with  a  fierce  pleasure.  One  might 
cry  forever  there  unheard,  and  one  might  fall,  as 
did  the  betrothed  girl  a  few  years  since,  with  her 
lover  at  her  side,  in  the  whirling  abyss,  and  be  seen 
no  more,  except  by  a  floating  garment,  shivering  and 
struggling  in  the  whirlpool.  We  passed  this  spot 
safely  ;  yet  one  always  shudders  there,  and  a  deeper 
horror  looks  down  from  the  cliff,  and  upward  from  the 
stream : 

TRENTON  FALLS,  NEW-YORK. 

My  God, 

I  thank  thee  for  this  wondrous  birth  of  joy, 
Unfelt  and  unimagined  till  this  hour  ! 

Was't  not  enough  that  thou  didst  tinge  the  rose 
With  delicate  glow,— throw  silvery  whiteness  o'er 
The  lily's  cup, — touch  the  bright  sea-shell,  like 
A  spirit's  blush,  and  weave  a  whisper  through 
Its  spiral  folds,  like  murmuring  love-notes,  soft — 


96      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Arch  the  rich  rainbow  into  mingled  hues, 
<•    More  beautiful  by  contrast  with  heaven's  blue, 
O'er  western  skies  throw  tints  of  gracious  light, 
Smooth  down  the  river  with  a  mirror's  truth, 
And  wrap  around  the  fresh  and  teeming  earth 
Its  lovely  drapery  of  chastened  green  1 
Was't  not  enough  for  me,  that  from  my  youth 
Mine  eyes  have  bathed  in  beauty,  banquetted 
On  lovely  sights,  and  listened  to  sweet  sounds  1 

Grateful  was  I  for  this;  but  now  I  feel 
The  beauty  of  the  awful  and  sublime. 
My  soul  leaps  upward  to  these  towering  cliffs, 
And  onward  with  the  stream  ! 

Father  !  and  God  ! 

Enlarge  my  spirit  for  this  mighty  gift ! 
When  I  consorted  with  the  buds  and  flowers, 
Heard  the  full  choir  of  woodland  melody, 
Gazed  up  in  reverie  on  placid  skies, 
Or  wandered  by  the  pure,  meandering  stream, 
Or  prayed  beneath  the  bright-eyed  lights  of  heaven, 
Looking  serene  from  out  their  azure  home, 
Or  blest  the  moonlight,  as  it  burst  in  joy, 
Like  youthful  thoughts,  enkindling  hill  and  dale  ; 
I  felt  as  if  a  mother's  gentle  voice, 
Called  on  her  child  to  acts  of  grateful  love. 
But  now  that  I  have  communed  with  the  vast — 
Seen  the  veil  rent  from  Nature's  stormy  shrine, 
Heard  her  wild  lessons  of  magnificence 
In  cataract  voices,  'raid  the  echoing-  rocks, 
I  feel  a  louder  call  upon  my  soul — 
A  trumpet-sound ;— and  as  a  soldier  girds 
Himself  for  war,  so  will  I  gird  my  thoughts 
For  conquest  o'er  the  world  ! 

The  memory  of  Trenton  Falls  was  still  vivid,  when 
I  learned  that  Colonel  Thome's  little  daughter   had 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      97 

perished  there  immediately  after  my  return  from  it. 
I  had  but  recently  seen  this  lovely  child  at  the  Springs, 
in  all  the  graceful  gaiety  of  youth.  Oh,  how  well 
could  I  fancy  the  horror  of  her  closing  hour  from  my 
own  impressions  of  the  scene  ;  the  shrieks  waking  the 
echoes  from  that  group,  bound  by  ties  of  love  and 
kindred  ;  the  whirlpool  before  them, — slippery  rocks 
beneath, — and  cliffs  piled  on  cliffs  above !  I  could  see 
that  wailing  procession  return,  lingering,  yet  des- 
pairing, for  one  was  not. 

THOUGHTS  ON  ZERLINA  THORNE, 

Drowned  at  Trenton  Falls. 
And  art  thou  gone,  fair,  graceful  child  ! 
I  dreamed  not,  mid  this  cataract  wild 

Thy  form  would  lie, 
When,  like  a  bright  and  budding  flower, 
I  met  thee  in  a  summer  bower, 

Life  in  thine  eye ! 

I  saw  thee  in  the  airy  dance, 
With  floating  step,  with  kindling  glance, 

With  happy  brow ; 
A  brother's  arm  around  thee  clung, 
A  parent's  smile  upon  thee  hung, 

Where  art  thou  now  1 
Oh  !  cold  and  dark  must  be  thy  grave 
Love-nurtur'd  one ! — the  dashing  wave 

Rocks  thy  death-sleep, 
And  o'er  thy  glazed  and  unclosed  eye, 
The  high-heav'd  cliffs,  all  frowningly, 

Their  vigils  keep  ! 

But  why  repine,  though  summer  dews, 
And  flowers  of  soft  and  blended  hues 

Deck  not  thy  sod  1 


98      NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Thy  spirit  from  the  wave  upsprings, 
Scatters  the  white  foam  from  its  wings, 
And  flies  to  God  ! 

AUBURN. 

The  great  west  begins  to  unfold  itself  in  strong 
characters  at  this  point  of  our  journey.  The  flour- 
ishing  town  of  Syracuse  is  one  evidence.  Let  no 
one  smile  at  the  classic  names  in  New-York.  Not 
a  hundred  years  will  pass  before  a  greater  than 
Kome  will  be  in  this  vast  region.  Considering  its 
Atlantic  and  internal  commercial  advantages,  its 
canals,  its  rail-roads,  its  vast  lakes  and  water-falls, 
its  agricultural  power,  &c.,  it  seems  to  me  that  this 
State  combines  more  power  and  beauty  than  any 
other. 

We  are  usually  waited  on  at  the  smaller  establish- 
ments by  young  white  women,  who  are  modest  and 
amiable  in  their  deportment.  Maps  are  to  be  found 
in  the  poorest  houses.  I  always  stop  when  the 
horses  are  watering,  and  reconnoitre.  One  sees  more 
Buonapartes  than  Washingtons  as  ornaments  to 
the  walls. 

The  stage  between  Utica  and  Auburn  was  fa- 
tiguing,  but  it  was  beguiled  by  social  dispositions 
and  intelligent  minds,  opening  to  the  influence  of  a 
cool,  unclouded  day.  One  stranger,  without  any  dis- 
play, unfolded  the  treasures  of  an  ardent  and  culti- 
vated mind  ;he  recited  to  us,  occasionally,  selections 
from  standard  authors,  whose  works  fill  our  minds 
with  the  best  recollections,  as  well  as  more  modern 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      99 

effusions  ;  and,  what  was  a  singular  coincidence  for 
me,  a  Southerner,  he  repeated  a  part  of  an  address  of 
the  present  editor  of  the  Mercury  to  his  classmates. 

We  found  at  the  Auburn  Hotel  a  pleasant  addi- 
tion to  our  coach  party.  Chance  has  thrown  'me 
somewhat  intimately  in  the  way  of  three  of  the  most 
eminent  physicians  of  the  city  of  New- York.  They 
differ  entirely,  though  they  have  lived  under  the 
same  influences,  travelled  in  Europe,  and  would  be 
likely  to  have  the  same  associations.  They  have 
all  contributed,  more  or  less,  to  the  cause  of  science 
and  literature,  and  are  probably  as  interesting  spe- 
cimens of  their  class  as  can  be  found. 

We  snatched  an  hour  to  visit  the  Auburn  prison. 
I  could  not  look  at  the  manufactures,  curious  and 
beautiful  as  they  were  ;  my  whole  attention  was 
rivetted  by  the  convicts.  I  did  not  see  a  small  head 
there.  There  was  something  sublime  to  me  in  the 
unseen  chain  which  kept  in  order  seven  hundred 
thieves  and  murderers.  The  difference  of  the  Peni- 
tentiary of  Philadelphia  and  this  prison  may  be  il. 
lustrated  by  their  mode  of  eating.  I  have  described 
the  custom  at  the  former  institution  before.  At  Au- 
burn,  there  is  an  immense  hall,  with  tables,  on  which 
are  a  wooden  plate,  knife,  fork,  spoon,  and  two  cups 
for  each  individual.  They  are  marched  in,  in  silence, 
attended  by  their  keepers,  (one,  I  think,  but  I  am 
not  certain,  to  twenty.)  The  superintendent  knocks 
on  the  table,  and  a  blessing  is  pronounced  ; — he 
knocks  again,  and  they  commence  eating ;  again, 


100  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

and  they  cease,  and  are  returned  in  silence  to  their 
work. 

CANANDAIGUA. 

This  is  a  truly  beautiful  city,  and,  like  the  other 
Western  towns,  is  laid  out  with  wide  streets.  The 
taste  in  building,  in  this  quarter  of  the  country,  ex- 
cels that  of  the  Atlantic  cities  and  villages.  The 
hotel,  in  which  I  now  write,  is  situated  on  an  open 
elevation.  It  is  the  Sabbath  day,  and  it  has  been 
passed  by  me  in  grateful  repose.  We  went  out  this 
morning  to  seek  a  church.  The  occupants  of  one 
looked  too  finely  dressed  for  us  way-soiled  travellers, 
so  we  entered  another,  where  the  open  pews  are  at- 
tractive to  a  stranger.  I  was  disappointed  at  seeing 
(to  me)  the  greatest  charms  of  a  Methodist  Meeting 
lost,  by  the  forms  being  merged  in  the  common  mode 
of  worship.  There  was  but  one  Methodist  bonnet  in 
the  building,  the  gay  world's-ribbon  decorated  every 
other;  there  was  nothing  of  the  usual  prostration  in 
prayer,  there  was  a  feeble  and  cold  choir,  instead  of 
the  noble  shout  of  praise  that  usually  goes  up  with 
the  united  voices  of  the  congregation.  The  preacher 
read  one  of  St.  Paul's  most  difficult  pieces  of  reason- 
ing, which  he  accompanied  by  a  more  obscure  com- 
mentary, instead  of  those  simpler  appeals  to  truth  and 
duty  which  the  common  people  love. 

A  young  woman  in  the  pew  before  me  was  the 
most  inveterate  starer  I  have  ever  seen,  and  in  that 
respect  entirely  unlike  the  rest  of  the  congregation. 
She  had  a  strongly  marked  English  air.  It  was  not 


NOTE9  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      101 

a  furtive  glance,  directed  occasionally,  but  a  close 
reading.  As  this  became  exceedingly  annoying,  I 
practised  a  ruse,  which  I  hope  was  pardonable,  by  ar- 
ranging my  pocket-handkerchief  on  the  seat  so  that 
she  might  see  the  name.  I  knew  it  was  in  too  small 
characters  for  her  to  decypher,  but  I  was  in  hopes 
she  would  try.  She  did,  and  puzzled  over  it  for  the 
remainder  of  the  service. 

BUFFALO. 

We  rose  before  dawn  at  Canandaigua,  and  were 
kept  waiting  an  hour  by  the  non-arrival  of  the  stage. 
How  little  is  there  on  such  occasions  to  realize  the 
descriptions  of  poesy  !  Sleepy  attendants,  damp  en- 
tries, listless  and  yawning  travellers  chewing  biscuits 
or  tobacco,  dews,  not  upon  flowers  but  upon  trunks  ; 
but  the  stageman's  whip  is  heard,  the  horn  is  sound- 
ed, the  almost  endless  luggage  is  adjusted,  we  are 
seated  in  the  carriage,  the  face  of  nature  changes, 
out  bursts  the  glorious  sun,  lighting  up  the  hills, 
we  look  into  each  other  faces,  and  find  there  the 
pleasanter  glow  of  social  warmth  ;  but  this  exaltation 
soon  subsides  ;  the  "  hope  deferred  "  of  a  cup  of  cof- 
fee." makes  the  heart  sick  ;"  ennui  succeeds  ;  some 
sleep,  some  muse  on  home  comforts,  some  speculate 
on  the  nodding  heads  around.  An  old  gentleman 
and  a  young  girl,  father  and  daughter,  I  suppose, 
were  separated  on  the  front  seat  by  a  young  man, 
a  stranger ;  it  was  a  warm  morning,  and  the  old 
gentleman  soon  fell  off  in  the  lands  of  dreams.  The 
young  girl's  large  eyes  began  to  languish  ;  her  head 


102     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

drooped  ;  at  a  jolt  of  the  coach  she  became  suddenly 
erect,  and  looked  wild ;  again  her  countenance  settled, 
the  glow  of  sleep  mantled  on  her  pretty  cheeks,  her 
eye-lashes  lay  darkly  on  them ;  again  her  head  waved, 
now  this  side,  now  that,  and  at  length  she  sank  in 
utter  unconsciousness,  on  the  shoulder  of  the  youth. 
He  tried  to  edge  off,  but  the  weight  fell  heavier  and 
heavier  ;  he  blushed  up  to  the  eyes,  and  seemed  to 
feel  any  thing  rather  than, 

"  Oh  lovely  burden,  why  not.  thus  forever  7" 

He  raised  his  hand  once  to  remove  her  head,  but 
it  lay  solid  as  Georgia  gold  ;  his  distress  became 
comic  to  observers,  which  made  the  matter  worse. 
Once  she  had  nearly  slipped  off,  but  with  natural 
instinct  she  deposited  herself  more  commodiously 
and  securely.  The  youth  looked  as  if  he  would 
rather  have  borne  the  logs  of  Prospero  than  this 
fair  charge.  At  length  the  stage  horn  was 
sounded,  the  innocent  awoke  so  suddenly  that  she 
was  ignorant  of  the  involuntary  aid  she  had  re- 
ceived from  her  neighbor,  and  understood  not  our 
restrained  mirth  at  his  embarrassment. 

I  ought  not  to  omit  to  mention  the  beautiful  lakes 
which  have  thrown  such  a  charm  over  our  journey. 
Skaneateles,  Owasco,  Cayuga,  Seneca,  Canandai- 
gua,  &c.,  showing  their  placid  surfaces,  and  throw- 
ing a  soft  repose  over  the  traveller's  weariness. 
Gardens  are  often  formed  down  to  the  water's  side, 
as  at  Geneva,  where  vegetation  is  in  rich  luxuri- 
ance. The  wheat  fields,  and  other  grain,  are  turn. 


NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  103 

ing  golden  for  the  harvest,  and  the  canal  peeps  up, 
here  and  there,  like  a  familiar  friend  all  along  the 
way. 

At  Rochester  we  gave  a  short  look  at  the  Genes- 
see  Falls.  It  is  a  spot  of  magnificent  natural  beauty, 
but  man  is  doing  all  he  can  to  mar  it.  The  place 
where  Sam  Patch  finished  his  wild  career  was  pointed 
out  to  us.  The  most  beautiful  rainbow  I  have  seen 
is  here.  I  feel  complacency  in  gazing  on  these  sof- 
teners of  waterfalls  ;  they  speak  a  language  amid 
the  rush  and  tumult,  like  that  conveyed  by  the  bow 
in  the  heavens  after  a  storm. 

By  diverging  northward  to  Rochester,  we  were 
enabled  to  take  the  Ridge  Road,  where,  though  the 
scenery  is  tame,  the  travelling  is  good.  There  is  a 
theory,  that  Lake  Ontario  must  once  have  reached 
this  boundary.  It  made  us  feel  far  from  home,  to  think 
of  our  vicinity  to  these  great  waters.  We  were  glad 
to  repose  at  the  village  of  Gaines  that  night,  and 
reached  Lockport  at  noon  the  next  day.  I  should 
suppose  this  place  to  be  situated  something  like 
Edinburgh  ;  it  has  its  upper  and  lower  town,  and  the 
natural  wildness  that  I  have  heard  attributed  to  that 
great  city.  A  resident  of  the  South  has  been  prin- 
cipally instrumental  in  the  prosperity  of  this  won- 
derful spot.  Here  the  great  Erie  Canal  has  defied 
nature,  and  used  it  like  a  toy  ;  lock  rises  upon  lock, 
and  miles  are  cut  in  the  solid  stone.  We  passed 
on  for  a  few  hours,  and  the  waters  of  the  Niagara 
river,  or  rather  strait,  came  in  sight ;  then  the  blue 
waves  of  Lake  Erie  were  visible  in  the  distance,  the 


104     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

mighty   beginning  of  the  mightiest  cataract   of  the 
world. 

The  enterprize  exhibited  at  Buffalo  almost  makes 
one  catch  his  breath,  particularly  when  thinking 
what  the  name  denotes,  and  what  it  was  thirty  years 
since,  and  comparing  it  with  what  it  is  now.  I  had 
thought  the  other  western  towns  great,  but  at  Buffalo 
I  almost  rubbed  my  eyes  to  see  if  all  was  real.  You 
pass  through  streets  of  commanding  width,  lined  with 
noble  buildings;  you  enter  stores -as  fashionable  and 
extensive  as  Stewart's  in  Broadway,  and  more  ele- 
gant ;  you  find  omnibuses  and  four  flying  about,  with 
horses  larger  and  handsomer  than  any  at  the  east. 
Every  body  is  in  earnest,  yet  every  body  looks  good- 
humoured.  There  is  piquancy  and  originality  about 
every  thing.  When  we  approached  the  wharf,  the 
porters  began  their  usual  cry  of,  "  Any  luggage  for 
the  U.  S.  Hotel  ? — for  the  Eagle  ? — for  the  Mansion 
House  ?"  A  man  stood  with  his  back  against  a  post, 
with  a  grave  look,  and  when  the  porters  pleaded  for 
the  U.  S.  Hotel,  he  cried,  "  Yes,  go  there,  you  will 
have  your  pockets  picked,  and  take  a  fresh  start !" 
"  For  the  Eagle  ?"  "  Yes,  go  to  the  Eagle,  you  will 
be  starved  in  a  land  of  plenty."  "  The  Mansion 
House  ?"  "  Yes,  go  there,  excellent  feed  on  bread 
and  water  ;  I  reckon  you'll  see  day-light  through 
their  beefsteaks  !"  And  these  jokes  were  followed  by 
shouts  of  laughter,  while  the  perplexed  travellers 
scarcely  knew  which  way  to  turn.  Another  set  of 
porters  were  announcing  the  hour  for  the  coaches  and 
steam-boats  to  start.  An  oracle  among  them  cried, 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  105 

"  The  Circus  starts  this  evening,  at  half  past  seven  ; 
you'd  best  go  in  her,  she's  got  the  best  horses  /" 

We  left  Buffalo  in  the  morning,  having  been 
amused  by  the  bustle  at  the  Eagle.  I  wanted  my  bed 
made  at  nine  o'clock,  to  retire,  and  rang  the  bell. 
Up  flew  an  Trish  waiter — "  Directly,  madam,  direct, 
ly  !"  I  waited  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  rang  again  ; 
in  rushed  a  German  girl,  and  we  could  not  say  a 
word  to  each  other.  I  pointed  to  the  bed,  she  disap- 
peared. I  waited  a  quarter  of  an  hour  more,  and  rang 
again ;  and  another  Irish  woman  appeared,  with  a 
pitcher  of  boiling  water,  which  she  affirmed  I  had  or- 
dered.  I  protested  against  taking  it.  "  Oh,  dear," 
said  she,  "  it  isn't  it,  thin,  and  where  is  she  to  find 
her  ?"  and  scampered  away. 

On  the  whole,  we  have  been  well  served  on  our 
journey,  and  so  far  from  bribing  waiters,  they  have 
been  devoted  to  us  every  where.  Houses  are  usually 
well  furnished,  and  almost  every  hotel  has  its  piano 
forte  as  a  necessary  luxury.  While  we  were  at  the 
wharf,  a  negro  fellow  came  down  to  sell  one  of  their 
noble  looking  horses,  which  he  rode  with  a  halter. 
I  was  inexpressibly  amused  by  his  comic  recommen- 
dations. He  seemed  to  have  entered  into  the  Buffalo 
spirit  of  enterprize. 

Lake  Erie  is  quite  rough  just  before  the  waters  of 
the  Niagara  rise  ;  but  the  river  was  speedily  gained. 
We  had  been  advised  by  the  majority  to  see  the 
British  side  of  the  Falls  first,  and  therefore  entered 
Chippewa  Creek,  and  were  under  the  government 
of  her  Britannic  Majesty. 


106     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

A  passenger  asked  me  if  I  was  going  to  visit  the 
Falls.  I  answered,  yes.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  you'll 
find  it  a  pretty  piece  of  scenery,  I  reckon." 

NIAGARA  FALLS,  (UPPER  CANADA.) 
When  entering  the  steamer  Victoria  at  Buffalo, 
I  was  startled  by  the  question,  "  Are  you  going  to 
Great  Britain  ?"  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  realiz- 
ed that  I  was  about  to  be  under  a  different  govern, 
ment,  and  I  felt  a  mighty  working  of  that  organ 
which  makes  captious  travellers.  We  soon  left 
the  blue  waters  on  Lake  Erie,  and  entered  on  the 
Niagara  river.  Grand  Island  is  twelve  miles  long, 
and  is  interesting  from  the  fact  of  its  having  been  se- 
lected as  the  spot  where  Major  Noah,  of  New-York, 
projected  the  city  of  Ararat,  as  a  rallying-point  for 
the  Jews.  That  plan  failed,  and  it  is  now  owned  by 
a  company  of  Bostonians  for  saw  mills,  &c.,  and 
is  likely  to  be  an  extensive  and  lucrative  concern. 
A  village  is  already  rising  there,  with  its  church  and 
school. 

I  observed  a  man  smoking  and  spitting  on  the 
quarter-deck  of  the  steam-boat,  and  as  I  had  not 
seen  such  a  spectacle  throughout  my  whole  journey 
from  the  South,  I  asked  who  he  was,  and  was  told 
that  he  was  an  Englishman,  the  agent  for  the  British 
Hotel.  I  was  lost  in  astonishment,  having  taken 
all  my  views  of  such  matters  from  Hall,  Trollope,  & 
Co.  Of  course  I  entered  on  my  notes,  in  conspi- 
cuous  characters,  that  Englishmen  smoke  and  spit,  (a 
favorite  word  with  English  journalists.)  As  we  en. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      107 

tered  Chippewa  Creek,  the  first  object  that  met  my 
eyes  was  an  English  lady,  knee  deep  in  the  water, 
her  sleeves  rolled  up  above  her  elbows,  scrubbing  a 
naked  boy.  My  surprise  was  indescribable,  and  I 
entered  on  my  notes  (I  never  kept  notes  but  for 
this  occasion)  the  singular  manner  in  which  English 
women  perform  their  ablutions  in  open  creeks.  As 
we  passed  through  the  village,  I  observed  on  one 
sign  "  Storeage,"  on  another,  "  Travillers."  Is  it 
possible,  thought  I,  that  these  are  countrymen  of 
Johnson,  and  Sheridan  ?  I  immediately  entered  on 
rny  tablets,  according  to  the  sweeping  custom  of  fo- 
reign journalists,  that  the  Canadian  shop-keepers 
are  ignorant  of  the  most  simple  forms  of  orthography. 
Dinner  was  ready  on  our  arrival,  and,  as  the  keeper 
of  the  Pavilion  had  boasted  that  there  was  nothing 
to  eat  or  to  see  on  the  American  side,  f  expected  a 
great  entertainment ;  more  particularly  did  I  feel  that 
I  was  in  a  nation  renowned  for  civilization  and  sil- 
ver forks.  What  was  my  renewed  astonishment 
at  finding  at  my  plate  a  dirty  steel  fork  !  I  was  al- 
most induced  to  take  out  my  tablets  on  the  spot,  and 
insert,  that  in  the  large  hotels  in  British  America 
silver  forks  are  not  used,  and  direct  teachers  to  draw 
the  shade,  meaning  uncivilized,  over  that  part  of  the 
world  on  school  maps.  I  afterwards  discovered  that 
about  a  third  of  the  plates  were  provided  with  discolor- 
ed washed  metal,  three-pronged  forks  ;  and  I  minuted 
that  at  the  first  British  hotel  I  ever  visited,  a  third  of 
the  visiters  can  obtain  imitation  silver  forks  if  they 
happen  to  sit  at  the  right  end  of  the  table. 


108  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  in  detailing  these  things, 
I  am  departing  from  my  usual  habit  of  seeing  the 
good  and  agreeable  wherever  it  can  be  found.  I 
have  rather  clone  it  as  a  lesson  to  myself,  to  show 
how  easy  it  is  to  describe  isolated  things  as  general  ; 
how  easy  it  is,  in  travelling,  to  revel  on  a  few  defects, 
and  slight  the  useful  and  fair ;  but  I  have  not 
quite  wasted  my  time  in  the  paltry  cavilling.  My 
room  overlooks  the  Falls  ;  I  have  listened  to  their 
roar,  I  have  sprung  often  to  the  windows  to  see 
the  white  foam  glitter,  and  rise  and  die  away  up- 
wards, like  thoughts  that  blend  with  heaven,  and  I 
have  felt  a  spell  on  my  soul  as  if  Deity  stood  visibly 
there. 

At  the  first  approach  to  the  Falls,  from  the  smooth 
river  to  the  Rapids  I  experienced  a  sensation  of  op. 
pression,  followed  by  trembling  and  fears  ;  my  first 
full  view  was  at  Table  Rock,  in  sunshine.  For  a 
few  moments  I  longed  for  the  sombre  cliffs  of  Tren- 
ton to  relieve  the  dazzling  whiteness  of  the  foam  ; 
but  as  I  gazed,  my  thoughts  became  dream-like  ; 
the  far  distant  and  dim  future  blended  together  ;  I 
felt  an  indistinct  and  troubled  joy,  like  the  bright 
chaos  beneath  me. 

I  found  that  tea  was  ordered  at  seven,  a  summer 
evening  seven,  when  Nature  has  holiday,  and  the 
gorgeous  sun,  in  his  robes  of  glory,  is  shedding  his 
parting  honors  on  mist  and  waterfall.  I  told  mine 
host  that  I  had  travelled  thousands  of  miles  to  see 
this  spectacle,  and  he  politely  promised  me  mine  by 
candle-light.  After  a  long,  long  view  at  Table 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     109 

Rock,  where  the  waters  of  lakes  and  rivers  are  seen, 
concentrated,  rushing  over,  and  thundering  down 
the  chasm,  we  descended  the  staircase,  and  looked 
upward.  In  these  two  views,  from  above  and  below, 
one  has  an  idea  of  the  power  of  the  cataract.  While 
we  were  there,  several  persons  passed  us  in  India 
rubber  suits  to  go  behind  the  sheet  of  water.  The 
dress  is  green  and  picturesque,  and  my  imagination 
was  excited  as  I  saw  their  receding  figures,  perceiv- 
ed them  rebuffed  by  the  roar  and  the  spray,  then 
gain  courage,  and  disappear.  It  seemed  to  me  like  a 
burial,  a  flood-death,  and  a  deep  solemnity  absorbed 
me.  They  soon  re-appeared  ;  and,  wrought  up  to 
the  highest  enthusiasm,  I  ventured  to  ask  the  first 
individual,  with  a  voice  and  feeling  as  if  he  were  an 
arch-angel  from  the  heavenly  veil,  what  were  his  sen- 
sations. 

"  Whart,  marm  ?"  said  he,  with  his  teeth  chatter- 
ing, and  spitting  out  the  remains  of  the  water  from 
his  mouth. 

"I  inquired,"  I  answered,  a  little  dashed,  "  how 
you  felt  behind  the  Fall  ?" 

"  It's  plaguy  cold,  I  reckon,"  said  he  ;  "  but  I 
warn't  goin  to  stick  on  so  fur,  without  seeing  the 
whole  on't." 

This  interview  seemed  to  cure  me  of  a  slight  de- 
sire I  had  felt  for  this  undertaking.  I  observed  by 
the  books,  that  many  English  travellers  performed  this 
exploit — Miss  Martineau  among  the  rest.  I  have 
heard  several  persons  say  that  the  shock  is  excessive, 
and  that  there  is  no  beauty  to  repay  one  for  it.  We 
10 


110     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ascended  the  steps,  and  turned  over  the  miserable 
scrawls  which  deface  the  books,  where  strangers  re- 
cord their  names.  They  are  evidently  written  by 
vain,  or  idle,  or  uneducated  youths,  and  are  no  test 
of  the  mind  of  our  country  ;  for  scarcely  a  command- 
ing name  is  found  among  the  writers.  It  is  a  little 
remarkable  that  there  were  upwards  of  a  hundred 
persons  at  the  hotel,  and  I  could  not  learn  that  there 
was  a  literary  or  professional  man  among  them. 
This  fact  shows  a  love  of  the  beautiful  among  the 
whole  mass  that  must  cause  some  scribbling  to  be 
forgiven. 

Two  of  us  only  remained  at  Table  Rock  at  twi- 
light. There  was  a  fearful  beauty  in  the  growing 
darkness  and  loneliness  of  the  scene.  I  lay  down 
on  the  rock,  with  my  head  over  the  vast  abyss.  It 
was  an  hour  of  deep  and  mighty  feelings — none  but 
moral  struggles  can  rival  them  in  my  soul.  It  is 
now  midnight ;  the  roar  of  the  waters  agitates  me. 
I  have  just  raised  the  window,  and  the  white  foam 
looks  like  a  troubled  spirit  in  the  darkness.  I  can- 
not sooth  down  my  heart — it  is  kindled  by  deep 
workings  of  the  Invisible. 

CATARACT  HOUSE — American  side. 

My  dreams  are  very  wild  here.  I  am  not  calm. 
A  great  voice  seems  calling  on  me,  which  I  am  too 
feeble  to  answer. 

I  left  the  Falls,  for  a  few  hours,  with  regret,  as  a 
matter  of  duty,  to  visit  Brock's  Monument.  I  never 
care  to  see  these  tall,  ungainly  contrivances  of  brick 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  Ill 

and  mortar  and  stone  capacity,  unless  the  associa- 
tions are  strongly  marked  ;  and  one  does  not  like  to 
hear  the  keeper  boast  of  nine  hundred  American 
prisoners  being  taken.  The  prospect  is  command- 
ing, but  I  love  infinitely  more  a  closer  and  more  de- 
nned view  of  nature.  The  English  houses  on  the 
way  are  neat,  and  somewhat  tasteful.  More  pains 
are  taken  by  the  inhabitants  than  by  persons  in  a 
corresponding  class  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
to  hide  the  unseemly,  and  cultivate  the  agreeable. 
At  Bridgewater,  or  Lundy's  Lane,  we  stopped  to 
see  the  battle  ground  of  July  25th,  1814.  Marks 
of  balls  are  still  visible  on  the  houses  and  trees.  If 
men  must  fight,  there  can  be  no  fitter  place  than  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Niagara.  Strength  to  do  and 
dare  may  well  be  caught  from  this  spectacle.  I 
think  I  could  pull  a  woman's  cap  to  tatters,  who 
should  offend  me  there. 

The  Museum,  on  the  British  side,  is  arranged  with 
peculiar  taste  and  ingenuity.  The  cases  are  suffi- 
cently  capacious  to  hold  large  but  graceful  branches 
of  trees,  which  are  covered  with  green  and  gray  moss. 
The  birds,  their  nests  or  their  young,  are  placed  on 
them  in  natural  positions,  and  the  effect  is  singularly 
living. 

The  walk  from  the  Pavilion  to  the  Ferry,  after 
one  has  seen  all  the  minor  spectacles,  is  a  grand  con- 
clusion to  the  visit  on  the  Canada  side ;  and  the 
passage  across  gives  a  few  moments  to  one's  exist- 
ence, never  to  be  forgotten.  It  was  a  wild,  cloudy 
day,  and  the  scene  seemed  closely  bounded.  It  is 


112     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

impossible,  in  the  necessary  direction  given  to  the 
boat  to  stem  the  current,  not  to  believe,  as  it  leaps 
over  the  rapids,  that  it  is  hurrying  to  the  foot  of  the 
Falls.  The  rushing  of  the  cataract,  and  its  roar, 
which  has  seemed  to  me  increasing  rather  than  di- 
minishing ever  since  I  came,  are  brought  fearfully 
near.  I  closed  my  eyes  an  instant,  as  we  approach- 
ed the  Fall,  but  one  cannot  afford  to  lose  such  mo- 
ments. I  opened  them,  and  gazed,  and  that  view  is 
impressed  on  my  memory  forever.  We  turned  the 
seemingly  dangerous  point.  I  felt  like  a  triumphant 
rider  on  a  battle-field,  and  as  our  boat  sprang  for- 
ward, and  I  looked  upward  to  the  mass  of  waters, 
they  seemed  like  giant  witnesses. 

And  now  I  am  in  the  United  States  again.  It  is 
in  vain  for  me  to  attempt  to  describe  the  beauty  and 
glory  of  this  spectacle.  I  can  only  tell  its  effect  on 
me  individually.  We  paused  at  the  foot  of  the  stair- 
case, near  the  descent  of  the  lesser  Fall.  My  agita- 
tion rather  increases  than  diminishes  in  contemplat- 
ing them.  I  have  felt,  ever  since  I  came,  as  if  the 
Great  Architect  were  near.  I  care  for  nothing  but 
this  work  of  his  hand.  Human  beings,  whom  I  so 
love  and  prize,  move  by  me  like  visions. 

We  are  at  the  Cataract  House,  and  as  agreeably 
accommodated  as  persons  can  be  who  see  the  beau- 
tiful and  sublime  giving  place  to  the  useful  and  the 
low.  This  site  is  ruined.  It  is  the  prayer  of  all 
persons  of  taste  that  Goat  or  Iris  Island  may  be  pre- 
served from  this  desecration.  If  any  building  is 
erected,  it  should  have  a  classical  exterior,  with  no 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     113 

more  clearing  than  necessity  demands,  and  be  de- 
voted to  visiters,  giving  them  a  short  and  romantic 
walk  to  these  glorious  exhibitions.  I  was  glad  to  es- 
cape from  the  sound  of  the  hammer  and  mill.  We 
registered  our  names  at  Bath  Island,  and  paid  our 
little  fee.  The  rapids  at  the  bridge  are  indescribably 
beautiful,  and  have  shed  over  me,  I  think,  as  great  an 
amount  of  delight  as  any  other  view.  I  never  pass 
them  without  lingering  with  a  protracted  gaze,  and 
feeling  the  growth  of  thought  at  every  survey  ;  then 
succeeds  the  secluded  forest  isle,  in  its  perfect  na- 
tural beauty,  affording  the  eye  time  to  repose,  before 
it  is  again  called  to  bow  before  the  majesty  of  the 
Cataract.  If  there  was  nothing-  to  be  seen  on  the 
island  but  the  view  at  Lunar  Bridge,  it  would  repay 
nature's  pilgrim,  who  comes  to  worship  here.  Stand- 
ing near  the  current  of  the  lesser  Fall,  a  rainbow  ap- 
pears at  either  side, — distinct  arches  of  light,  repos- 
ing on  the  mist  like  crowns  of  glory.  We  descend- 
ed the  Biddle  staircase,  and  passed  some  hours  on 
the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  Great  Fall.  Here  its 
height  and  power  are  fully  appreciated.  The  sun 
burst  forth  in  radiance,  and  the  sheeted  foam  glitter- 
ed like  frosted  showers  in  his  rays.  How  hard  it  is 
to  leave  that  spot — one  lingers,  and  lingers  as  over  a 
new-found  joy  ! 

Having  re-ascended  the  steps,  we  rested  at  the  top 
of  the  hill,  on  the  grass,  gathering  green  moss,  and 
preparing  for  a  visit  to  the  tower.  Shakspeare's  in- 
junction, 

10* 


114     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

"  Run,  run,  Orlando,  carve  on  every  tree, 
The  chaste,  the  fair,  the  inexpressive  she  !" 

has  been  obeyed  to  the  letter  on  Iris  Island,  though 
the  inexpressive  Ties  rather  predominate.  As  I  was 
resting  on  the  grass,  I  saw  a  fat,  hard-faced  man, 
carving  his  name,  and  lo !  L.  P.  stood  forth  on  the 
unconscious  bark,  and  he  became,  to  his  own  thought, 
immortal ! 

"  The  tower  is  boldly  placed  over  the  rushing  flood, 
and  is  forty-five  feet  high  ;  the  access  is  by  a  bridge, 
which  projects  ten  feet  beyond  the  Falls.  This  view 
is  the  crown  and  glory  of  the  whole.  I  felt  the  mo- 
ral influence  of  the  scene  acting  on  my  spiritual  na- 
ture, and  while  lingering  at  the  summit  alone,  offer- 
ed a  simple  and  humble  prayer.  Descending  the 
Tower,  I  crossed  to  the  extreme  end  of  Terrapin 
Bridge ;  there,  lying  down  with  my  head  over  the 
Fall,  I  ceased  to  pray  or  even  to  think.  I  gave  my- 
self up  to  the  overpowering  greatness  of  the  scene, 
and  my  soul  was  still. 

My  mind  has  been  calmed  by  rambling  through 
the  romantic  forest  walks  of  the  island,  where  beau- 
tiful, but  not  overwhelming,  views  of  the  rapids  and 
falls  break  through  the  clustering  trees.  Yielding 
myself  up  to  the  sensation  of  a  new  youth,  I  lost,  for 
a  while,  the  excitement  of  more  thrilling  scenery, 
and  passed  several  hours  in  that  delicious  stroll,  while 
the  calm  clear  sky  looked  through  the  branches,  and 
the  shade  of  the  woods  softened  the  summer  sun, 
soothing  the  over-taxed  senses.  Long — forever, 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      115 

may  this  gem  of  nature,  Iris  Island,  remain  in  its  wild 
beauty. 

This  evening  we  walked,  by  moonlight,  round  the 
island,  and  just  as  I  began  to  be  weary  with  the 
length  of  the  way,  a  young  married  couple,  who  had 
come  to  pay  true  homage  to  nature,  by  consecrating 
their  new  happiness  at  this  shrine,  commenced  sing- 
ing.  Their  voices  mingling  with,  and  softening  the 
roar  of  the  Fall,  floated  richly  on  the  air,  and  were 
in  sympathy  with  the  soft  light  of  the  moon  as  the 
green  leaves  trembled  in  its  rays.  My  weariness 
was  beguiled,  my  steps  became  measured  to  their 
songs,  and  thoughts  of  the  absent  came  like  brood- 
ing  doves,  and  nestled  on  my  heart. 

My  last  look  at  the  great  Falls  was  at  the  lunar 
bow,  at  the  extremity  of  Terrapin  Bridge.  If  I  was 
affected  at  the  Gennessee  Falls,  with  the  thought  of 
the  tender  associations  which  spring  up  at  seeing 
this  mighty  element  softened  by  its  peaceful  arch, 
how  much  did  the  spiritual  beauty  of  this  moonlight 
creation  touch  me  in  a  scene  of  such  surpassing  pow- 
er !  The  lunar  bow  lies  in  its  shaded  white  on  the 
mist,  like  a  thing  of  the  imagination,  lending  grace 
and  softness  to  its  majesty.  When  I  had  beheld  this 
spot  in  sunshine,  I  was  overpowered ;  now  a  deep 
tide  of  reflection  solemnized  and  absorbed  me.  One 
feels  thoroughly  alone,  while  overhanging  that  thun- 
dering mass  of  waters,  with  the  silent  moon  tread- 
ing her  tranquil  way.  I  thought  of  soul,  and  this 
mighty  Fall  seemed  as  a  drop  compared  to  the  cata- 
ract of  mind,  which  has  been  rushing  from  the  bosora 


116     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

of  the  Eternal,  from  age  to  age,  through  every  chan- 
nel of  human  nature,  now  covered  with  mists,  now 
glittering  in  sunshine,  now  softened  by  moonlight, 
now  leaping  in  darkness  and  uncertainty,  and  I  trust 
in  God,  destined  to  flow  in  many  a  happy  river 
around  his  throne. 

KINGSTON,  Lake  Ontario,  Steamer   } 
Great  Britain,     y 

I  have  been  seriously  disappointed  in  this  route. 
Instead  of  keeping  along  the  coast,  and  having  the 
friendly  eyes  of  green  trees  looking  on  us,  we  have 
been  out  of  sight  of  land,  pitching  and  rolling  as  if 
we  were  traversing  the  Atlantic  ;  this  evil  arises 
from  the  necessity  of  crossing  over  repeatedly  from 
the  American  to  the  British  side,  and  back  again,  at 
the  different  towns.  From  Lewiston,  we  swept  over 
to  Toronto,  the  capital  of  Upper  Canada  ;  and  after 
stopping  awhile  at  Coborg,  swept  off  again  across  this 
inland  ocean  to  Oswego  ;  then  crossed  again  to  Lex- 
ington, all  of  which  makes  a  pretty  lengthy  sea 
voyage,  a  thing  to  protest  against  when  one  is  travel- 
ling purely  •  for  pleasure.  In  this  dearth  of  out  of 
door  attractions,  obliged  to  lie  down  from  sickness, 
I  gave  myself  up  to  the  interests  of  the  cabin,  where 
a  variety  of  passengers,  French,  English,  and  Ameri- 
can, amusingly  maintained  their  peculiar  character- 
istics. Among  the  group  was  a  beautiful  lady  from 
the  West  Indies,  attended  by  a  little  mulatto  girl, 
with  her  head  wrapped  in  a  picturesque  looking  tur- 
ban, having  all  the  spoilt  prettinesses  of  manner 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     1 17 

which  is  so  often  seen  in  Southern  colored  pets. 
She  had  under  her  charge  a  squirrel,  which  was  kept 
prisoner  by  a  gold  chain,  two  yards  long.  The  boat 
being  crowded,  we  were  spread  at  night  three  deep 
over  the  cabin  floor ;  our  countless  heads,  apparent- 
ly bodyless,  looking  like  the  cherubs  in  the  pictures 
of  the  old  masters.  Just  as  we  were  composed  (after 
the  combined  noises  of  some  young  ladies  in  a  frolic, 
and  a  West  India  negro  nurse,  who,  with  a  curious 
compound  of  French  and  African  dialect,  was  assert- 
ing her  right  to  one  of  the  best  beds,  the  Irish  stew- 
ardess's exercise  of  lungs,  after  all,  giving  out  first,) 
one  of  the  recumbent  party  screamed  out  that  the 
squirrel  was  loose,  and  had  run  over  her.  The  poor 
little  animal  went  whisking  his  tail  over  several  other 
faces,  upon  which  mingled  cries  of  alarm,  mixed 
with  shouts  of  laughter,  succeeded,  and  it  was  a  late 
hour  when  we  slept. 

How  unnatural  has  been  our  Sabbath,  with  the 
complaining  English,  the  laughing  French,  and  the 
half  and  half  Americans  !  How  different  from  the 
quiet  of  our  blessed  home,  where  the  only  task  of  the 
soul  is  to  tread  onward  its  heavenly  way. 

On  leaving  Kingston,  we  passed  the  Barracks,  a 
fine  range  of  stone  buildings,  and  Navy  Point,  where 
are  two  ships  of  war  on  the  stocks,  and  soon  the  thou- 
sand isles  began  to  stud  the  St.  Lawrence,  like  em- 
erald gems,  and  as  we  glided  around  and  among  them, 
the  imagination  could  scarcely  help  recalling  in  their 
deep  solitude  those  forms  with  which  classic  taste 
once  peopled  the  woods  and  waves. 


118     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

TO  THE  ST.  LAWRENCE. 

River  of  thousand  isles  !  in  graceful  glee 
Has  nature  thrown  around  her  gems  of  green, 
Where  summer  skies  look  downward  joyfully, 
And  sheltering  trees  erect  their  wavy  skreen, 
And  waters  flow,  laving  each  emerald  shrine, 
While  nature  dwells,  lone,  silent  and  divine  ! 

Bird  calls  to  bird  from  out  these  islets  fair, 
Unheard  man's  death-gun,  and  unfelt  his  snare, 
And  flowers  spring  up,  nor  fear  a  cultured  doom, 
Bright  families  of  beauty  and  perfume. 
Farewell !  a  first,  last  gaze  I  take — a  parting  spell, 
Thou'rt  woven  round  my  heart — and  now  farewell. 

We  arrived  at  Prescot  in  the  after-part  of  the  day, 
and  went  immediately  on  board  of  the  Dolphin, 
which  was  to  proceed  in  the  night.  Some  of  our 
party  visited  Ogdensburgh,  an  American  village  op. 
posite,  a  flourishing  place,  with  about  a  thousand  in. 
habitants,  near  which  is  an  extensive  lead  mine,  of 
the  purest  ore,  which  promises  prodigious  wealth. 
We  assembled  on  deck  by  a  full  moon,  and  sang 
near 

"  St.  Ann's  our  parting  hymn." 

It  was  pure  romance  to  sit  by  that  "  trembling 
moon,"  perhaps  on  the  Very  spot  where  Moore  con- 
ceived  the  Canadian  boat  song,  and  hear  the  beautiful 
melody  swell  forth  on  the  silent  air  ;  and  there  were 
voices  and  spirits  there  that  would  have  gladdened 
the  heart  of  its  musical  author.  It  was  not  on  the 
"  Saint  of  the  Green  Isle"  that  I  called  in  that  calm 
and  lovely  scene,  but  a  thought  of  the  thousand  joys 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     119 

and  blessings  scattered  in  my  way,  touched  my  heart 
with  gratitude  to  a  higher  power,  in  that  evening 
song. 

Full  of  the  romantic  associations  of  the  evening, 
we  determined  to  see  the  sun  rise  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence.  The  theory  of  the  morning  sun  on  the  water 
is  heautiful,  but  the  reality  of  wet  decks,  the  chill  of 
the  early  air,  the  drowsy  looks  of  the  work  people, 
who  do  not  rise  for  the  picturesque,  and  the  cravings 
for  a  cup  of  coffee,  which  follows  the  inhalation  of  a 
sharp  morning  breeze,  are  prodigious  drawbacks  ; 
nevertheless,  the  lines  of  light  breaking  through  the 
clouds,  and  coloring  up  the  placid  river,  touched 
me  with  their  beauty,  and  my  heart  sang  its  morn- 
ing  hymn  of  thanksgiving  and  trust. 

MONTREAL. 

Glad  were  we  to  take  the  stage,  on  the  fine  Cana- 
dian roads,  though  the  appearance  of  poverty  at 
Long  Sault,  the  first  settlement  we  passed,  was  pain- 
ful. Hut  upon  hut  arose  almost  more  squalid  than  the 
last ;  while  the  half-clothed  children,  and  one  entire- 
ly naked,  in  the  bleak  morning  air,  excited  sympathy. 
They  were  evidently  the  habitations  of  emigrants. 
A  little  farther  on,  was  a  canal,  where  the  men  were 
employed.  At  the  distance  of  twelve  miles  from  this 
settlement,  we  again  took  the  stearn-boat  to  Coteau 
de  La.c  ;  after  this,  stage  and  steam-boat,  alternate- 
ly, through  the  Cascades  and  La  Chine,  to  Montreal. 
We  stopped  a  few  moments  at  the  Indian  settlement 
of  St.  Regis.  As  soon  as  he  saw  our  approach,  an 


120     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Indian  boy  threw  off  his  blanket,  leaped  into  the 
river,  and  swam  by  the  side  of  the  boat  an  incredi- 
bly long  time.  Another  lad  leaned  on  an  oar  in  a 
canoe,  with  that  earnest,  unsmiling  look,  which  we 
remarked  in  the  boys  who  ran  after  the  stage  in  our 
route  to  the  Falls.  Before  entering  Montreal,  we 
were  saluted  in  the  twilight  by  shouts,  and  one  or 
two  balls  of  dirt  were  thrown  into  the  stage. 

On  entering  Montreal,  the  narrow  streets  and 
gloomy  looking  dwellings  were  unfavorably  contrast- 
ed with  the  recollection  of  our  more  airy  cities  in 
the  States.  We  visited  the  Cathedral,  attracted  by 
its  imposing  exterior.  It  is  an  immense  building, 
sufficiently  capacious  to  hold_  ten  thousand  persons. 
The  interior  produces  disappointment,  there  being 
not  only  imitation  marble  pillars,  but  bad  imitations. 
The  painted  glass  windows  behind  the  altar,  repre- 
senting the  twelve  Apostles,  were  new  to  me,  and  I 
liked  the  effect ;  but  the  pictures  are  really  not  worth 
describing.  We  were  interested  in  visiting  the  Sa- 
cristy, and  looking  at  the  priests'  garments.  The 
vestments  of  the  bishops  were  gorgeous  beyond  de- 
scription, wreaths  of  'flowers  of  every  hue  being 
delicately  wrought  in  gold  and  silver,  with  the  sym- 
bolical Lamb  in  the  centre,  of  most  exquisite  work- 
manship. 

After  a  drive  through  the  principal  streets  looking 
in  at  one  or  two  wards  of  the  General  Hospital, 
where  every  thing  wore  an  air  of  comfort,  passing  the 
Hotel  Dieu,  the  Seminary,  and  Nelson's  Monument, 
we  went  quite  round  the  mountain,  from  which  the 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     121 

city  takes  its  name.  Though  a  rural  and  agreeable 
drive,  the  only  point  particularly  worthy  of  admira- 
tion is  that  which  embraces  a  fine  view  of  Montreal, 
the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine,  where  the  bishop  resides, 
with  the  wide-extended  country  around.  On  our  re- 
turn we  visited  the  convents  of  the  Gray  and  Black 
Nuns.  Whatever  may  be  the  speculative  views  of 
visitors  to  these  institutions,  their  hearts  must  be 
softened  as  they  see  the  pure  and  graceful  nuns  glid- 
ing about,  administering,  with  the  quietness  of  daily 
duty,  medicine  and  food  to  the  most,  apparently,  dis- 
gusting sufferers,  objects  from  whom  the  world's 
children  would  shrink  in  dismay. 

QUEBEC. 

After  some  repose  we  obtained  admission  to  the 
Museum  of  Montreal,  belonging  to  a  society  of  gen- 
tlemen. This  is  a  small  but  promising  collection. 
As  far  as  I  could  understand  by  inquiry,  it  is  the 
only  literary  or  scientific  association  in  Quebec  or 
Montreal.  After  a  day  passed  agreeably  in  these 
various  objects,  we  embarked  in  the  evening  in  the 
Canada  for  Quebec.  The  passage  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence is  really  delightful ;  the  dwelling-houses,  and 
uncultivated  grounds  along  the  shore  being  so  fre- 
quent as  to  make  it  appear  almost  like  an  unbroken 
street ;  the  churches,  which  are  numerous,  giving  an 
additional  charm  to  the  varied  and  attractive  scene- 
ry. Soon  after  leaving  Lake  Rouge,  the  towers  and 
citadel  of  Quebec  opened  to  view,  situated  on  a 
rock  345  feet  in  height,  called  Cape  Diamond,  from 
11 


122       NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

the  quality  of  the  crystals  found  with  the  granite 
beneath  its  surface.  The  view  of  the  city  is 
unique.  I  know  of  nothing  like  it.  Point  Levi  ap- 
pears on  the  right,  a  rocky  precipice,  covered  with 
white  dwellings,  and  commanding  the  citadel  of 
Quebec  from  the  opposite  shore.  Passing  Wolf's 
Cave,  Wolf  and  Montcalm's  Monument,  the  Parlia- 
ment House,  and  Martello  Towers,  consisting  of 
four  circular  forts,  forty  feet  in  height,  situated  on 
the  Plains  of  Abraham,  half  a  mile  in  advance  of  the 
wall  of  fortifications,  we  landed  at  the  wharf,  and  as- 
cended the  precipitous  hill ;  our  party  distributed  in 
four  caleches,  which  are  uncouth  looking  articles  of 
the  chaise  kind.  As  we  looked  back  on  each  other, 
in  this  sudden  change  of  vehicle,  we  could  not  keep 
our  countenances  until  we  were  sobered  by  the  mar- 
tial air  of  the  Highland  centinels  in  full  costume, 
who  were  stationed  on  the  way.  Then  we  began  to 
feel  that  we  were  in  a  fortified  city.  We  were  for- 
tunate enough  to  obtain  lodgings  and  front  rooms 
at  the  excellent  hotel  opposite  the  parade  ground. 

As  the  Canadian  dinner  hour  is  5  o'clock,  and 
we  were  anxious  to  see  the  Falls  of  Montmorenci, 
we  immediately  took  carriages  to  visit  them.  Pass- 
ing out  of  town,  through  the  suburbs,  every  window 
was  full  of  heads.  As  there  was  nothing  either  outre 
or  distingue  in  our  air,  we  set  it  down  to  the  habits  of 
the  people.  On  entering  the  French  village  of  Beau- 
port,  which  appears  to  be  simply  one  long  street,  the 
dogs  issued  from  every  yard,  barking  and  snapping  ; 
as  we  passed  on,  the  tumult  increased,  and  as  there 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      123 

was  certainly  nothing  peculiar  in  our  air  in  common 
coaches,  we  concluded  this  to  be  the  habit  of  the  dogs. 
How  civilized  beings  can  see  strangers  assaulted  thus, 
is  inconceivable  to  me. 

The  Falls  of  Montmorenci  inspire  none  of  the 
solemn  and  mysterious  awe  of  Trenton  or  Niagara. 
The  stream  descends  in  silvery  threads,  over  a  per- 
pendicular  precipice  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  in 
height,  and  in  connection  with  the  surrounding  scene- 
ry,  the  tree-crowned  summits  and  overhanging  pre- 
cipices, is  extremely  picturesque  and  beautiful.  Hav- 
ing viewed  them  from  the  window  of  the  mill,  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  and  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  gazed 
with  a  lingering  look  of  delight  at  the  distant  pro- 
spect, we  returned  in  season  to,  escape  a  heavy  show- 
er, which  seemed  almost  kindly ^o  delay,  to  gratify 
our  love  of  nature. 

This  morning  we  visited  the  Catholic  Church,  a 
spacious  stone  building,  the  interior  of  which  is  de- 
corated with  better  paintings  than  those  at  the  great 
Montreal  Cathedral.  Near  this  is  the  Chapel  of  the 
Seminary,  where  the  paintings  seemed  in  still  better 
taste.  On  returning  to  our  lodgings,  we  were  de. 
lighted  with  seeing  the  regiment  of  Highlanders,  with 
their  bagpipes  in  full  play,  pass  our  door.  It  was 
worth  going  to  Quebec  to  have  one's  old  associations 
and  imaginings  thus  realized.  We  remained  an 
hour  at  the  Esplanade,  seeing  the  change  of  guard, 
which  it  was  particularly  interesting  to  me  to  com- 
pare with  West  Point,  and  listening  to  the  music, 
while  an  obliging  and  intelligent  gentleman  of  Que- 


124     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

bee  obtained  tickets  of  admission  for  us  to  the  cita- 
del. 

This  stupendous  fortress  includes  the  whole  space 
on  the  highest  part  of  the  Cape,  and  is  intended  to 
accommodate  the  garrison  as  a  residence,  and  to  con- 
tain  all  military  stores.  The  armory  is  beautifully 
arranged,  and  is  said  to  be  a  perfect  miniature  re- 
presentation of  the  Tower  at  London.  One  file  of 
muskets  is  kept  for  presents  to  friendly  Indians.  Af- 
ter mounting  the  wall,  and  viewing  the  prospect  from 
the  highest  point  on  the  Cape,  we  proceeded  to  the 
flag-staff  and  telegraph  stand,  and  looked  through 
the  telescope,  by  which  the  signals  are  adjusted ;  from 
thence  we  went  to  the  inclined  plane,  which  is  five 
hundred  feet  long,  extending  from  the  wharf  to  the 
summit  of  the  Cape,  where  the  perpendicular  eleva- 
tion is  three  hundred  and  forty-five  feet  above  the 
stream.  This  plane  is  used  by  government  to  con- 
vey  stores,  and  other  articles  of  great  weight,  for  the 
use  and  erection  of  the  fortress.  On  one  occasion, 
a  heavy  load  of  stone  was  raised,  when  the  chain 
broke,  and  it  was  precipitated  with  such  force  as  to 
be  carried  over  two  boats  without  striking  either. 
Near  the  lower  end  of  the  rail-way  is  the  spot  where 
General  Montgomery  was  shot  in  attempting  to  as- 
cend the  bank  when  proceeding  to  the  assault  of 
Quebec. 

The  fortress  is  still  unfinished,  although  im- 
mense sums  of  money  have  been  expended  upon  it 
by  government,  and  though  it  is,  undoubtedly,  the 
Canadian  strong-hold.  The  quarters  of  the  soldiers 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     125 

are  comfortable,  and  family  groups,  about  sitting 
down  to  dinner,  added  cheerfulness  to  the  scene. 

Having  the  happiness  of  joining  a  delightful  party 
from  Charlestown,  (Mass.)  we  sent  our  cards  and 
letters  to  the  two  Ursulines,  who  had  taken  refuge  in 
Quebec,  but  had  little  hope  of  being  admitted  into 
the  Nunnery,  as  we  learned  from  all  quarters  that 
none  but  the  dignitaries  of  the  kingdom  were  allowed 
to  go  over  the  institution  on  account  of  the  inter- 
ruption it  occasioned  to  the  instruction,  and  of  the 
disagreeable  intrusion  of  mere  curiosity.  The  least 
we  expected  was  a  conversation  with  the  two  sis- 
ters in  the  parlor.  What  was  our  pleasure  and  sur- 
prise to  find  ourselves  welcomed  with  the  cordiality 
of  dear  friends.  When  I  hesitated  to  proceed  with 
some  strangers,  who  had  joined  us,  the  religieuse  ex- 
claimed, 

"  You  are  welcome  !  you  are  welcome  !  The 
names  of  ********  and  ***  will  ever  be  a  passport  to 
this  community." 

Tender  was  the  gratitude  and  warm  were  the  bless- 
ings that  greeted  those  names.  Preceded  by  a  sister 
with  an  hour  glass,  who  accompanied  us  afterwards, 
we  were  conducted  to  the  reception  room,  where  the 
Superior  received  us,  and  introduced  us  to  the  other 
members  of  the  community,  with  the  exception  of 
those  whom  we  saw  in  their  respective  rooms  after- 
wards, attending  to  their  pupils.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments' conversation,  we  were  attended  by  the  Supe- 
rior and  several  nuns,  through  the  various  apartments ; 
the  simplicity  and  cheerfulness  of  our  fair  conduct. 
11* 


126  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

ors,  and  the  neatness  and  good  taste  of  the  establish- 
ment, charming  us  at  every  step.  In  the  room  de- 
voted to  drawing  and  painting,  were  some  really 
beautiful  specimens  of  the  work  of  the  pupils.  In 
the  sitting  room  of  the  community  is  a  painting  of 
Christ,  which  evinces  the  genius  of  an  artist,  by  a 
novice.  There  are  several  interesting  paintings  in 
this  room,  among  them  the  portraits  of  the  foundress 
of  the  Convent,  and  of  the  religieuse  who  came  with 
her  to  Canada  in  1639. 

After  visiting  the  school-room,  where  about  fifty 
blooming  girls  received  us  standing,  we  passed  to  the 
music  room,  which  contained  a  harp,  pianos,  and 
guitars ;  from  thence  to  the  various  apartments  de- 
voted to  different  branches  of  instruction,  where  we 
found  the  teachers,  all  with  the  same  happy  coun- 
tenances and  pure  attire,  attending  to  their  pupils. 
We  then  were  led  into  the  refectory  and  the  kitchen, 
and  were  more  and  more  delighted  with  the  neatness 
and  order  which  pervaded  every  part. 

We  were  introduced  into  the  chapel  of  the  Con- 
vent, unaccompanied  by  the  Nuns.  1  did  not  ask 
why ;  but  I  presume,  from  their  serious  attitude,  as  we 
entered  without  them,  that  they  thought  it  improper  to 
go  in  but  for  religious  purposes.  The  altar  is  a  high- 
ly ornamented  piece  of  gilding,  executed  by  the  Nuns. 
The  paintings  appeared  to  me  superior  to  those  in 
the  cathedrals.  There  is  a  simple  monument  and  in- 
scription to  Montcalm ;  and  an  old  Nun  is  now  liv- 
ing, who  witnessed  his  interment,  to  whom  we  should 
have  been  introduced  but  for  her  extreme  age  and 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      127 

infirmities.     The  following  is  the  inscription  refer- 
red  to  : 

Honneur  a  Montcalm ! 

La  destin  en  lui  derobant  la  victoire 

La  recompense  par  une  mort  glorieuse ! 

On  quiting  the  Chapel,  we  passed  the  hall  where 
the  charity  scholars  were  assembled  in  great  numbers, 
and  both  teachers  and  pupils  looked  happy.  If  any 
of  our  party  entered  with  prejudices,  they  must  have 
been  dissolved  by  the  touching  interest  of  the  scene, 
from  the  moment  of  our  reception,  to  the  warm  and 
affectionate  farewell. 

TO  THE  URSULINES. 

Oh  pure  and  gentle  ones,  within  your  ark 

Securely  rest ! 
Blue  be  the  sky  above — your  quiet  bark — 

By  soft  winds  blest ! 

Still  toil  in  duty  and  commune  with  heaven, 

World- weaned  and  free  ; 
God  to  his  humblest  creatures  room  has  given, 

And  space  to  be. 

Space  for  the  eagle  in  the  vaulted  sky 

To  plume  his  wing — 
Space  for  the  ring-dove  by  her  young  to  lie, 

And  softly  sing. 

Space  for  the  sun-flower,  bright  with  yellow  glow- 
To  court  the  sky — 

Space  for  the  violet,  where  the  wild  woods  grow, 
To  live  and  die. 


128  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 


Space  for  the  ocean,  in  its  giant  might, 

To  swell  and  rave — 
Space  for  the  river,  tinged  with  rosy  light, 

Where  green  banks  wave. 

Space  for  the  sun,  to  tread  his  path  in  might, 

And  golden  pride — 
Space  for  the  glow-worm,  calling  by  her  light, 

Love  to  her  side. 

Then  pure  and  gentle  ones,  within  your  ark 

Securely  rest ! 
Blue  be  the  skies  above,  and  your  still  bark 

By  kind  winds  blest. 

On  our  return  from  the  Nunnery,  we  were  intro. 
duced  to  Mrs.  Montgomery,  mother  of  the  late  Su- 
perior of  Mt.  Benedict,  Charlestown,  who  is  about 
to  follow  her  daughter  to  New-Orleans.  We  could 
not  quit  Quebec  without  visiting  the  Plains  of 
Abraham,  to  which  we  were  politely  accompanied 
by  two  Montreal  gentlemen.  We  passed  the  spot 
where  was  formerly  to  be  seen  the  rock  against 
which  Wolfe  leaned  when  he  died,  and  which,  to  his 
shame  be  it  recorded,  an  American  caused  to  be 
blown  up  and  buried,  on  account  of  the  injury  caused 
to  his  grounds  by  visiters.  A  small  monument  has 
been  erected  by  the  Governor  of  Canada,  who  pur- 
chased  the  land  ;  and  now  pilgrims  can  come  without 
fear  of  intrusion,  and  breathe  and  pray  on  the  sa- 
cred spot. 

Spenser  Wood,  a  seat  owned  by  an  English  gen- 
tleman, was  shown  to  us  as  a  specimen  of  English 
taste.  It  is  beautiful  spot,  but  by  no  means  excels 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      129 

the  country  residences  of  Massachusetts  or  the  cul- 
tivated plantations  of  the  South. 

MONTREAL. 

The  rain,  which  seemed  to  have  held  back  until 
we  had  gratified  our  curiosity  in  the  interesting  city 
of  Quebec,  poured  down  in  torrents  as  we  left  it, 
but  in  the  comfortable  quarters  of  the  steamer  Ca- 
nada, which  lay  at  the  wharf  to  start  at  early  dawn, 
we  enjoyed  a  happy  repose.  Being  obliged  to  tow 
two  vessels,  crowded  with  emigrants,  our  progress 
was  slow ;  the  emigrants  were  animated  by  music, 
and  the  gay  strains  of  the  violin  swept  occasionally 
on  the  breeze  to  us,  and  when  we  stopped  at  Trois 
Rivieres,  I  saw  a  father  and  his  two  young  sons  play- 
ing together.  We  went  ashore,  visited  the  Ursuline 
Convent,  to  convey  a  message  from  a  Quebec  Nun. 
The  Sister  only  appeared  behind  the  grate,  with  her 
veil  covering  all  but  a  round  and  benevolent  looking 
chin  ;  but  her  voice  was  sweet,  and  her  air  graceful. 
It  was  Saturday,  and  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning ;  but  as  it  is  a  charm  in  Catholic  churches 
that  they  are  always  open,  we  entered  one  on  the 
way.  It  seemed  to  me,  though  small,  the  most 
beautiful  that  I  had  seen.  We  walked  lightly,  that 
we  might  not  disturb  the  two  or  three  worshippers, 
who  had  gathered  for  quiet  devotion. 

It  was  the  last  day  of  the  Races  at  Trois  Rivieres, 
and  as  these  races  unite  the  jockeys  of  Montreal, 
Quebec,  and  the  surrounding  country,  we  received 
considerable  additions  to  our  company  in  the  boat, 


130  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION. 

beside  the  winning  mare,  Brunette,  whose  name  was 
changed  to  The  King's  Own,  from  her  having  gain- 
ed the  purse,  the  first  which  William  had  appro- 
priated  to  this  object  at  this  place.  I  heard  some- 
thing about  her  being  akin  to  some  Southern  racer, 
which  I  have  forgotten.  Among  the  gentlemen, 
were  nearly  all  the  officers  of  the  32d  regiment,  from 
Montreal,  and  a  distinguished  Irish  lawyer.  The 
commander  of  the  regiment,  Capt.  Smith,  is  one  of 
the  most  elegant  men  I  have  ever  seen.  He  is  brother 
to  the  celebrated  Miss  Penelope  Smith,  who  recent- 
ly married  the  Prince  of  Capua.  Having  a  very 
elegant  piano  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  belonging  to  one 
of  the  gentlemen,  we  became  united  through  this  de- 
lightful medium,  and  had  the  singular  good  fortune, 
passing  travellers  as  we  were,  of  agreeable  inter- 
course with  some  of  the  intelligent  and  interesting 
society  in  Montreal.  Oh,  how  often  has  music,  in 
this  long  journey,  been  a  bond  of  sympathy ! 

We  arrived  at  Montreal  on  Sabbath  morning,  and 
proceeded  directly  to  the  Catholic  church  ;  and 
when  there,  in  that  vast  and  silent  assembly,  though 
not  sympathizing  either  in  principle  or  habit  with 
the  forms,  yet  I  gave  myself  up  willingly  to  the  in- 
fluences  of  the  scene ;  nor  can  I  conceive  that  any 
mind  of  reflection  or  sensibility  should  regard  them 
with  coldness  or  ridicule.  Perhaps  if  I  saw  the  eyes 
of  the  congregation  fixed  on  the  flower-robed  priests 
or  tinselled  altars,  I  might  feel  lightly ;  but  no,  among 
those  thousands  every  eye  and  knee  were  bent  in 
prayer  or  meditation,  and  the  decorations  passed  for 
what  they  are,  mere  symbols. 


NOTES    OP   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  131 

I  thought  within  myself,  God  makes  not  only  the 
snow-drop  in  its  pale  beauty,  and  the  ring-dove  in 
her  modest  plumage,  but  he  paints  the  gorgeous  robe 
of  the  tulip,  and  sends  the  oriole  glancing  like  a  ray 
of  light  through  the  forest ;  and  though  I  will  worship 
in  the  spiritual  and  simple  form  of  my  fathers,  I  will 
not  pluck  one  ornament  from  your  gayer  shrine. 

In  the  afternoon,  one  of  our  polite  fellow-travel- 
lers accompanied  us  to  the  English  Church,  where 
every  body  agreed  that  we  ought  to  go,  "  because  the 
regiment  and  the  band  would  be  there."  I  could 
not  but  smile  at  the  stress  laid  upon  these  things  in 
a  place  of  religious  worship.  How  sincerely  we 
responded  to  the  petitions  for  King  William  and  the 
royal  family,  I  am  not  bound  to  tell ;  but  my  own 
heart  went  up  in  thankfulness  for  God's  goodness, 
and  in  that  dwelling  I  erected  a  passing  altar  to  the 
Lord. 

BURLINGTON,  VT. 

We  left  Montreal  in  the  steamer  Princess  Victoria 
for  La  Prairie,  where  we  took  the  cars  for  St.  John's, 
and  from  thence  the  fine  steam-boat  Franklin  for  Lake 
Champlain.  I  have  seen  nothing,  either  in  boats  or 
hotels,  to  compare  with  the  elegance  and  neatness  of 
this  boat.  Among  other  matters  of  taste  are  excel- 
lent waiters  ;  handsome  youths,  in  uniform,  with 
stylish  caps,  from  which  a  silk  tassel  depends,  and 
in  the  purest  white  aprons  and  jackets. 

This  is  altogether  a  most  exquisite  sail.  Platts- 
burgh,  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  is  a  handsome 


132     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

village  ;  and  one  looks  with  interest  on  McDonough's 
farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred  acres,  which  was 
granted  him  by  the  Legislature  of  Vermont.  Near 
this  location  is  the  island  where  prisoners  were  con- 
fined  during  the  war.  The  most  glorious  sunset  I  have 
ever  seen,  colored  up  the  lake,  the  hills,  and  valleys, 
on  this  lovely  evening  ;  and  as  we  passed  the  spot 
where  the  dead  lay,  foe  with  foe,  who  had  struggled 
here,  I  fancied  a  cloud  gathering  there,  separated  it- 
self from  the  bright  and  beautiful  rays  around  ;  but 
one  learns  to  sympathize  with  valor,  and  as  I  gazed, 
light  came  upon  the  cloud  and  tinged  its  edges,  and 
it  grew  brighter  and  brighter  until  it  faded  away  to 
a  heavenly  blue. 

THOUGHTS 

On  passing  Plattsburgh  on  Lake  Champlain. 

Hush,  this  is  sacred  ground, 

Sacred  the  wave ; 
Here  were  true  warriors  bound, 

Here  is  their  grave ! 
Blue  mountains  dimly  smile 

Over  each  little  isle, 
Passing  clouds  pause  awhile 

Over  the  brave. 

Foeman  sleeps  near  the  foe, 

Silent  and  cold  ! 
Passions  all  hushed  below, — 

Tales  that  are  told  !— 
Flowers  the  green-sod  have  crowned, 
Summer  birds  softly  sound, 
Murmur  the  waves  around, 

Peace  to  the  bold  ! 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     133 

BELLOWS'  FALLS,  Vermont. 

We  arrived  at  Burlington  too  late  to  enjoy  the  ex. 
tensive  view  afforded  by  its  elevated  site,  and  left  it 
with  the  dawn  just  opening  on  the  handsome  square 
in  which  our  hotel  was  situated ;  but  the  rising  sun 
shone  on  Lake  Champlain  for  many  a  mile,  contrast, 
ing  its  tranquil  beauty  with  the  mountains  towering 
on  every  side,  while  Otter  Creek  River  peeped  into 
many  a  valley.  Mountains !  mountains !  moun- 
tains  !  For  two  days  I  have  been  realizing  a  wish  of 
my  life,  to  be  shut  out  from  all  things  but  lofty  sum- 
mits and  the  sky.  Our  stage  companions  on  this 
route  were  incommunicative.  I  was  glad  to  enjoy 
this  tranquil  breathing-place,  and  during  the  long 
days  I  cherished  the  associations  of  the  scene  in  si- 
lence.  The  memory  of  the  Green  Mountains  will 
follow  me  to  my  dear  but  level  home,  and  their  ver- 
dant tops  will  be  a  resting-place  for  thoughts  which 
cannot  pass  away. 

The  rapidity  with  which  we  travelled  prevented 
me  from  seeing  the  Green  Mountain  Boys ;  but  one 
little  trait  of  New  England  character  occurred  which 
amused  me.  As  we  stopped  at  Leicester,  a  tall  and 
strong  featured  old  man,  in  a  blue  farmer's  frock, 
with  a  somewhat  gouty  walk,  was  on  the  tavern 
piazza. 

"  How  d'ye  do,  Major  ?"  said  one  of  the  passen- 
gers. 

"  Just  steppin',  thank  ye,  Captain,"  was  the  an- 
swer. "  Pleasant  weather  !" 

12 


134     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

M  Too  pleasant  for  some  folks,"  said  the  passen- 
ger — «  We  eat  more  than  our  peck  of  dust." 

"  Folks  are  always  worryin'  about  something,"  an- 
swered  the  Major.  "  It's  my  candid  opinion  that 
mankind  is  just  about  the  hardest  to  please  of  any 
of  God's  creation." 

There  is  but  little  remaining  of  natural  beauty  at 
Bellows'  Falls.  The  dashing  waters  have  gone  to 
aid  a  slow  canal;  mills  are  working  over  the  rocks, 
and  a  bridge  hides  the  most  .beautiful  portion  of  the 
cascade. 

WATERTOWN,  Mass. 

We  passed  through  a  corner  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  the  two  meals  we  ate  at  Walpole  and  Fitzwilliam 
were  the  richest  on  one  whole  route.  "  Honor  to 
whom  honor  is  due." 

As  several  ladies,  from  preference  or  necessity, 
had  taken  seats  on  the  top  of  the  stage,  in  our  New 
England  journey,  I  was  disposed  to  try  it  from 
Keene  to  Fitzwilliam,  before  breakfast. — The  scene- 
ry was  picturesque,  the  mountains  gradually  softening 
down  to  hills ;  a  little  nameless  stream,  a  tributary 
to  the  Connecticut,  leaping  among  stones  or  gliding 
along  over  the  sands,  accompanied  us  all  the  way  ; 
the  morning  was  bright,  nature  all  fresh  from  a 
shower,  and  with  six  horses  before,  the  driver  snap- 
ping his  long  whip  beneath,  and  the  landscape 
stretched  around,  I  felt  the  same  excitement  as  if 
riding  on  horseback,  while  the  great  circle  of  hills,  and 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     135 

woods,  and  meadows,  glowing  in  the  morning  light, 
were  all  my  own. 

As  we  passed  through  a  small  village,  the  driver 
stopped  to  take  in  a  woman  and  her  son.  She  came 
running  to  the  house  door,  wringing  out  the  water 
from  a  pair  of  pantaloons. 

"  Oh  lud  !  Oh  lud !"  cried  she,  «  what  shall  I  do  ? 
I  ha'nt  but  jest  done  sudsing  Nat's  pantaloons ! 
What  will  he  do  to  go  to  meeting  with  ?" 

Nat  stood  by  in  silence,  twirling  his  hat,  evidently 
not  with  his  best  pantaloons  foremost.  There  was  a 


"  Suppose  we  let  her  hang  her  pantaloons  out  of 
the  coach  windo.w,"  said  a  young  man,  who  seemed 
to  like  the  fun.  It  was  put  to  vote  among  the  pas- 
sengers, and  carried  by  acclamation.  The  good 
woman  ran  to  the  rinsing  tub,  and  wrung  them  out 
as  quick  as  thought,  a  pretty  girl  from  within  the 
house  brought  her  bonnet  and  bundle,  she  scrambled 
into  the  stage,  hung  out  the  pantaloons,  and  the  un- 
conscious legs  kicked  off,  in  freedom,  at  every  jolt, 
in  a  more  unconstrained  manner  than  those  which 
were  cramped  up  in  the  vehicle. 

An  evident  change  is  perceptible  soon  after  enter- 
ing Massachusetts  ;  the  mountain  grandeur  disap- 
pears, except  where  Wachusett,  or  some  lesser  emi- 
nence, lifts  its  rounded  height,  and  a  garden  cultiva- 
tion is  over  the  whole  country. 

At ,  I  found  myself  in  the  stage  with  eight  of 

women-kind,  the  gentlemen  being  obliged  to  take  the 
seats  outside.  Silence  prevailed  for  a  little  while, 


136      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

when  a  middle  aged  lady,  with  a  buff-colored,  glazed 
gingham  frock,  said  to  her  neighbour — 

"  If  it  won't  inconvenience  you,  I  should  be  glad 
to  set  by  the  window  a  spell,  as  I  feel  a  little  qualm- 
ish." 

The  removal  was  effected,  and  there  was  a  pause. 

First  Passenger.    It's  dreadful  to  be  sea-sick  ridin'. 

"  Dreadful !"  said  two  or  three. 

Second  Passenger.  My  sister  Sally  is  the  worst 
off  of  any  body  I  ever  see  ridin'.  She  was  two  days 
travlin'  in  the  Jarseys,  lookin'  as  white  as  a  sheet, 
and  when  her  head  warnt  out  o'  winder,  she  was 
obleeged  to  lay  flat  on  her  back  in  the  folks  laps,  in 
a  kinder  faint. 

First,  third,  and  fourth  Passengers.  Mercy  ! 
Dreadful !  Did  you  ever  ? 

Fifth  Passenger,    /always  feel  fainty,  like,  ridin.' 

Second  Passenger.  It  makes  me  kinder  squeam- 
ish, but  I  aint  nothing  so  bad  as  sister  Sally. 

First  Passenger.  I've  seen  folks  turn  as  white  as 
a  rag  just  ridin'  a  mile.  Deacon  Jones  always 
dooz.  Do  you  feel  any  better,  marm  1  (to  the  sick 
lady.) 

Glazed  Gingham.  I  dont  expect  to  feel  no  better 
tell  I  feel  worse. 

Fifth  Passenger.  It  always  makes  me  keep  spittin' 
and  spittin'  to  ride.  I'm  obleeged  to  set  by  a  win- 
der, constant. 

Glazed  Gingham,  (faintly.)  I  woul'nt  grumble  an 
atom,  if  it  warnt  nothing  but  spittin'  with  me. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      137 

Ninth  Lady.  Is  there  any  cure  for  this  kind  of 
sickness  ? 

Eighth  Lady.  A  draught  of  hot  spear  mint — and 
a  handful  put  on  the  chest,  gives  some  relief. 

First  Lady.  I've  hearn  tell  suckin'  a  lemon  was 
good.  Have  you  fur  to  go,  marm  ? 

Glazed  Gingham.  I  calculate  to  git  as  fur  as  Bor- 
ston. 

First  Lady.  Do  you  calculate  to  be  poorly  all 
day? 

Glazed  Gingham  could  not  answer,  but  her  mouth, 
drawn  down  at  the  corners,  looked  unutterable  things, 
and  she  leaned  her  head  out  of  the  window. 

After  this  the  party  were  silent,  some  in  sleep, 
some  in  reverie ;  and  as  the  stage  rolled  along,  sce- 
nery, familiar  to  my  youth,  began  to  appear,  touch- 
ing  thrillingly  on  the  thousand  chords  of  memory, 
and  my  thoughts  framed  themselves  to  words  like 
these  : 

RETURN  TO  MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  martin's  nest !  the  martin's  nest ! 

I  see  it  swinging  high, 
Just  as  it  stood  in  distant  years, 

Above  my  gazing  eye ; 
But  many  a  bird  has  plumed  its  wing, 

And  lightly  flown  away, 
Or  drooped  its  little  head  in  death, 

Since  that — my  youthful  day ! 

The  woodland  stream  !  the  woodland  stream  ! 

It  gaily  flows  along, 
As  once  it  did  when  by  its  side 

I  sang  my  merry  song. 
12* 


138      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

But  many  a  wave  has  roll'd  afar, 

Beneath  the  summer  cloud, 
Since  by  its  bank  I  idly  poured 

My  childish  song  aloud. 

The  sweet-brier  Rose !  the  sweet-brier  Rose 

Still  spreads  its  fragrant  arms, 
.     Where  graciously  to  passing  eyes 

It  gave  its  simple  charms ; 
But  many  a  perfumed  breeze  has  past, 

And  many  a  blossom  fair, 
Since  with  a  careless  heart  1  twined 

Its  green  wreaths  in  my  hair. 

The  Barberry  bush !  the  Barberry  bush ! 

Its  yellow  blossoms  hang 
As  erst,  where  by  the  grassy  lane 

Along  I  lightly  sprang; 
But  many  a  flower  has  come  and  gone, 

And  scarlet  berry  shone, 
Since  I,  a  school-girl  in  its  path, 

In  rustic  dance  have  flown. 

My  sisters  dear  !  my  sisters  dear  ! 

And  ye  still  live  and  dwell 
Among  the  scenes  where  early  life 

Once  threw  its  gentle  spell : 
And,  God  be  thanked  !  though  some  young  joys 

Have  flown  from  your  soft  nest, 
The  wanderer  finds  a  welcome  still, 

And  in  your  arms  is  prest. 

CAMBRIDGE. 

The  annual  commencement  at  Harvard  College 
collects  one  of  those  great  intellectual  assemblages 
that  brighten  the  eye  and  thrill  the  heart  of  an  am- 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     139 

bitious  speaker.  The  orators,  on  this  occasion, 
were  grave  and  respectable,  and  realized  the  de- 
scription given  in  Winthrop's  Journal  of  the  first 
nine  students  who  graduated  in  1642.  "They  were 
young  men  of  good  hope,  and  performed  their  acts 
so  as  to  give  good  proof  of  their  proficiency  in  the 
tongues  and  arts." 

It  is  seventeen  years  since  I  attended  this  celebra- 
tion ;  my  thoughts  chiefly  rested  on  the  audience, 
and  were  drawn  away  from  the  speakers  by  the  . 
throng  of  memories  that  clustered  so  richly  over  the 
scene.  There  were  many  changes.  The  old  Puritan 
meeting-house  was  gone,  and  had  given  place  to  one 
of  elegant  and  classical  structure.  How  the  mind 
struggles  between  a  love  of  the  beautiful  and  a  love 
of  the  familiar — a  desire  for  improvement  and  regret 
at  change  !  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  would  have  relin- 
quished the  advantages  of  the  present  building,  if  a 
magic  stroke  could  have  restored  the  old  edifice,  with 
its  coarse  architecture,  its  rattling  windows,  its  little 
balustrades  at  the  top  of  the  pews,  by  the  twirling 
of  which  I  had  beguiled  many  a  long  sermon  in  my 
girlish  days,  and  I  would  even  have  sacrificed  the 
full-toned  organ  for  the  bass-viol,  with  its  prelimi- 
nary twang.  As  the  bonnetted  ladies  entered  and 
thronged  the  galleries,  1  thought  of  the  waving  veils 
and  flower-wreathed  curls,  which  once  made  the  seats 
look  like  a  garden  with  white  banners.  I  went  back 
to  the  time  when,  on  the  night  previous  to  Com- 
mencement, the  then  scanty  wardrobes  of  the  Cam- 
bridge girls  were  ransacked  for  their  little  finery  to 


140     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

grace  the  day.  That  gallery  presented  then  a  beau- 
tiful sight,  and  they  who  saw  it,  felt  that  night  was 
not  wanting  to  bid  the  eye  sparkle  and  the  cheek 
bloom ;  that  beauty  was  even  lovelier  when  the  rich 
sun-light  developed  its  intellectual  grace,  as  flowers 
are  charming  by  the  evening  glare,  but  fruit  glows 
more  richly  in  the  day. 

The  first  object  I  missed,  though  well  replaced  by 
the  present  graceful  and  dignified  incumbent  of  his 
office,  was  President  Kirkland,  of  whom  it  has  late- 
ly been  beautifully  said,  that  "  his  face  is  a  benedic- 
tion." My  eyes  wandered  over  the  stage  where 
bright  locks  had  become  grey,  and  the  silvery  hair 
more  thin.  Some  had  departed,  all  were  changed  ; 
buds  of  promise  had  bloomed,  blossoms  had  given 
fruit,  some  had  laid  their  young  heads  in  the  grave, 
and  some  stood  ripely  ready  for  the  harvest  in  a 
good  old  age.  There  .mingled  those  good,  wise  men  ; 
yet  I  thought  what  waves  of  trouble  had  flowed  over 
each  and  all ;  how  passion  had  swept  across  their 
souls  !  I  heard  a  voice  rising  from  that  tranquil  body, 
telling  the  commom  lot  of  man.  They  have  had 
days  of  strife  and  nights  of  bitterness  ;  they  have 
wrestled  with  the  world,  with  themselves,  with  God  ; 
seeming  friendship  has  mocked,  ambition  has  lured 
them  on  its  bitter  pleasures,  eating  the  heart  it  fed  ; 
death  has  crushed  their  hopes,  and  life  has  been  a 
toil,  sanctified  only  by  the  promise  of  a  home,  where 
man  shall  lay  down  these  cares,  where  the  skies  shall 
not  darken,  nor  the  leaf  drop  in  autumn  winds,  nor 
the  flower  perish  ;  but  all  that  is  beautiful  and  good, 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     141 

and,  God  be  thanked,  there  is  still  beauty  and  good- 
ness  on  the  earth,  shall  look  up  and  smile,  and  breathe 
heaven's  atmosphere  of  love. 

After  musing  awhile  on  these  things,  until  the 
voices  of  the  speakers  sounded,  dream-like,  amid  the 
deeper  voices  of  the  past,  my  attention  was  rivetted 
by  one  conspicuous  individual.  I  had  seen  that  sub- 
dued glance  years  ago,  at  his  first  college  exhibition  ; 
it  was  the  same — the  same  slow  raising  of  the  clear 
blue  eye,  the  same  deferential  bow  at  honors  confer- 
red. The  cheek  of  the  man  was  pale  ;  on  the  boy's 
was  a  crimson  spot,  where  genius  seemed  feeding ; 
time  had  laid  his  hand  on  the  head  of  the  man,  the 
boy's  fair  hair  was  glossy  and  full ;  the  limbs  of  the 
man,  though  not  large,  were  firm,  the  boy  was  slen- 
der, so  slender  that  it  was  feared  mind  would  master 
him,  and  that  he  would  be  one  of  those  plants  that 
die  early.  Why  God  so  often  takes  the  premature- 
ly ripe,  we  know  not ;  but  we  know  that  the  respon- 
sibilities  of  such  moral  agents  as  he  permits  to  re- 
main, are  fearfully  great.  The  eye  of  heaven  must 
look  searchingly  down  on  the  individuals  it  has  gift- 
ed  so  unsparingly. 

At  the  Commencement  of  1811  he  again  appear- 
ed, still  a  boy,  bearing  off  the  honors  of  a  man. 
There  was  another  lapse  of  time,  and  he  stood  be- 
fore the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  as  a  poet ;  and 
the  lips  of  the  fair  opened  in  praise,  and  friends  ga- 
thered and  fluttered  like  butterflies  around  the  open- 
ed flower,  and  old  men  shook  their  heads  in  pleasant 
surprise,  or  gazed  upon  his  modest  brow,  and  bade 


142  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

him  God  speed.  A  few  years  passed,  and  he  stood 
to  be  ordained  in  the  holy  character  of  a  Gospel 
minister.  I  shall  never  forget  that  day.  As  his  fa- 
thers in  the  ministry  laid  their  hands  on  his  head, 
he  looked  too  slight  for  so  tremendous  a  charge  ;  but 
when,  at  the  close  of  the  service,  he  pronounced  a 
blessing  on  the  audience,  there  was  a  tremulous  depth 
in  his  voice  which  spoke  of  ardent  communings  with 
duty. 

Another  period  elapsed,  and  he  visited  Europe,  to 
glean  from  its  fields  pleasure  and  improvement.  In 
the  Chapel  of  Harvard  College,  on  his  return,  I  heard 
his  first  discourse.  It  was  a  brilliant  summary  of 
interesting  things.  Since  then  he  has  walked  the 
halls  of  statesmen  ;  his  various  orations  have  risen 
like  a  line  of  beautiful  hills  on  the  literary  horizon, 
and  he  has  been  crowned  with  civil  honors. 

But  are  the  performances  of  the  day  really  closed  ? 
Have  fathers  strained  their  eyes  and  ears  in  half 
terrified  joy,  and  mothers  shrank  into  themselves, 
and  sisters  blushed,  and  smiled,  and  wept,  as  the 
young  orators  trod  the  stage  ?  Have  the  diplo- 
mas, which  seem  like  the  rolls  of  fate,  been  given, 
freeing  them  from  collegiate  duties,  and  launching 
them  off  to  untried  scenes  ?  Has  the  benediction 
been  pronounced  by  the  sweet  and  tremulous  voice 
of  the  patriarch  of  the  scene,  and  the  brazen  tongues 
of  the  band  sent  out  their  thrilling  harmony,  while  I 
have  been  lifting  the  curtain  of  the  past  ? 

The  pleasure  of  Commencement  day  is  greatly 
heightened  by  the  attractive  levee  at  the  President's. 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     143 

It  would  be  ungrateful  to  allow  this  opportunity  to 
pass  without  a  tribute  to  the  dignified  courtesy,  the 
graceful  hospitality,  of  the  lovely  family  who  contri- 
bute so  fully  to  the  happiness  of  their  guests.  None 
are  overlooked  or  forgotten,  where  the  charm  of 
good-nature  is  added  to  the  refinement  of  polished 
manners.  There  stood  on  the  centre  table  a  grape 
vine  in  a  jar,  bearing  rich  and  beautiful  fruit.  The 
outside  of  the  vase  was  ornamented  by  flowers  con- 
fined  with  a  string  passed  round  several  times,  so 
that  the  vessel  itself  looked  like  a  beautiful  flower. 
This  tasteful  gift  was  from  the  garden  of  Mr.  Gush- 
ing, of  Watertown,  whose  costly  and  cultivated 
grounds,  which  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting, 
attract  the  notice  and  admiration  of  strangers.  One 
of  the  curiosities  is  a  China  wall,  the  tiles  of  which 
were  brought  from  Canton  at  immense  expense. 
The  hot-house  presents  the  most  rare  East  India 
plants.  Many  of  the  attendants  are  Chinese,  and 
dress,  in  part,  in  costume  of  their  country.  The 
grapery  is  extensive,  and  as  the  clusters  hung  in- 
vitingly before  me,  in  the  temperated  apartments, 
while  a  raw  east  wind  was  scattering  the  leaves  out 
of  doors,  I  could  not  but  think  how  our  sunny  South 
repays,  with  one  half  the  expense  and  labor,  the  ef- 
forts of  the  careful  planter,  and  yet  how  few  speci- 
mens are  to  be  found  of  fruit  culture.  But  we  must 
be  patient ;  the  "  Southern  Agriculturalist"  regular- 
ly issues  its  voice  of  instruction  and  experiment,  and 
private  enterprise  is  awaking  with  public  improve- 
ments. After  all,  the  question  may  be  asked,  why 


144     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

not  let  all  who  can  spend  their  means  in  travelling,  do 
so  ;  and  instead  of  wearing  out  money  and  health  in 
our  warm  summers,  visit  gardens  like  Mr.  Cushing's. 
There  they  will  not  be  called  to  mourn  over  a  rare 
fruit  or  flower  frost-nipped  or  broken  ;  the  laborer 
works  for  their  eye  unpaid  ;  they  may  tread  on  the 
gravelled  paths  or  marble  walks,  and  inhale  the 
odour  of  rare  exotics,  and  for  the  time  being,  throw 
up  their  hats  and  shout  hurra,  this  is  mine  !  As  I 
saw  the  China  wall,  and  the  East  India  plants,  and 
the  huge  broad  Chinese  hats  of  the  servants,  I  thought 
it  might  be  a  pretty  whim  in  the  rich  people  of  this 
country  to  copy  the  style  and  costume  of  Europe  in 
their  country  seats.  Let  one  man  have  an  Italian 
villa,  and  all  its  accompaniments ;  another,  a  Rus- 
sian retreat ;  let  a  third  select  some  romantic  site 
for  a  Swiss  cottage  ;  another  might  fancy  a  Dutch 
flower  garden.  When  we  shall  dart  across  the  At- 
lantic in  our  steam-boats  in  ten  days,  these  imita- 
tions will  doubtless  increase  among  the  wealthy,  and 
it  is  probable  the  taste  of  the  laboring  classes,  too, 
will  be  more  English.  The  little  vegetable  garden 
will  be  ornamented  with  flowers,  the  trelliced  win- 
dow show  forth  its  honeysuckle  or  clematis,  instead 
of  here  and  there  a  straggling  bean,  which  is  all  that 
greets  us  now  ;  and  the  merry  bird  sings  out  its  notes 
from  sheltering  trees,  surrounding  cottages  that  now 
stand  uncovered  in  the  summer  sun.  But  then,  alas, 
new  modes  of  evil,  new  motives  to  sin,  will  come 
along  with  these  improvements  ;  are  we  prepared, 


NOTKS  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      145 

as  a  nation,  to  avail  ourselves  of  one  without  yield- 
ing  to  the  other  1 

PHI  BETA  KAPPA  CELEBRATION. 

There  can  scarcely  be  a  more  imposing  audience 
than  that  which  assembles  on  this  occasion.  Fa- 
shion and  intellect  bow  together  at  this  shrine.  I  was 

glad  of  an  opportunity  to  see  and  hear  President , 

having  read  his  printed  discourses  with  profound  re- 
spect for  their  elevated  character.  His  appearance 
is  grave  and  dignified,  his  action  graceful,  and  his 
voice  deep-toned  ;  but  no  man  should  apologize  for 
a  performance  which  is  accepted  a  year  in  advance. 
Then  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  was  not  the  place  for 
an  essay  on  faith.  I  am  exceedingly  sensitive  about 
running  any  risk  of  the  abuse  of  sacred  things,  and, 
as  a  matter  of  taste,  should  like  to  avoid  the  intro- 
duction of  sacred  topics,  treated  metaphysically, 
where  the  mind  of  an  audience  would  be  likely  to 
receive  them  coldly  or  lightly.  Not  that  a  religious 
tone  should  be  avoided  ;  for  there  may,  and  should 
be,  in  every  performance,  those  appeals  to  our  higher 
nature,  which,  mingling  in  with  less  elevated  themes, 
sanctify  and  ennoble  them. 

Never  were  two  beings  in  stronger  contrast,  in 
every  point  of  view,  than  the  orator  and  poet.  The 
first,  a  massy  Gothic  edifice  ;  the  latter,  a  Corin- 
thian temple.  There  was  something  almost  sublime, 
however,  in  the  expansion  of  the  poet's  slight  figure, 
and  the  rolling  of  his  large  eyes,  while  he  heaved  up 
pearls  and  sea-weed  from  the  little  ocean  of  his  mind. 
13 


146     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

His   performance,  which  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half, 
was  entirely  committed  to  memory. 

CAMBRIDGE,  Sept.  8.  > 
morning.  3 

This  memorable  day  is  ushered  in  by  clouds,  but 
I  cannot  bring  myself  to  believe  that  they  will  not 
disperse.  Every  thing  should  be  bright  on  this  great 
anniversary,  the  two  hundredth  year  since  the  foun- 
dation of  Harvard  College.  The  beautiful  repose 
which  characterizes  Cambridge  still  rests  over  the 
verdant  common  and  the  tasteful  buildings  scatter, 
ed  around  it,  though  thousands  of  individuals  are 
gradually  collecting  to  join  the  great  Jubilee.  The 
noble  elm  of  Washington,  the  tree  beneath  which  his 
tent  was  pitched  in  the  revolutionary  war,  is  waving 
quietly  in  the  breeze  not  far  from  my  window,  the 
only  object  in  the  whole  circle  of  my  view,  which 
saw  the  infant  day  of  Harvard  ;  the  colleges  stand  in 
the  early  light,  silent  testimonials  of  the  wisdom 
which  planned,  and  the  energy  which  has  sustained 
them  ;  nothing  breaks  the  stillness  of  the  morning 
but  the  light  or  loitering  step  of  the  passing  stu- 
dents. 

The  great  subject  of  excitement  for  the  last  week 
has  been,  whether  ladies  should  be  permitted  to  hear 
the  addresses  within  the  tent.  There  was  a  strong 
and  powerful  party  in  favor  of  the  measure  among 
the  Committee  of  Arrangements; — it  was  contend- 
ed that  the  daughters,  and  wives,  and  mothers  of  the 
sons  of  Harvard,  had  an  interest  in  common  with 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     147 

the  Alumni ;  that  it  was  a  scene  for  the  affections, 
which  the  jar  of  politics  and  the  grossness  of  foren- 
sic debate  could  not  reach,  and  that  it  would  be  an 
appropriate  opportunity  to  indulge  them  in  witnessing 
a  style  of  public  eloquence  to  which  their  peculiar 
habits  render  them  necessarily  strangers.  So  strong 
was  the  desire  to  effect  this  object  among  the  gen- 
tlemen,  that  it  was  given  up  only  at  the  last  moment, 
from  the  apprehension  of  too  limited  a  space  for  the 
numbers  that  would  probably  have  pressed  in.  The 
only  substitute  therefore  for  the  ladies  was  to  visit 
the  tent,  yesterday,  after  its  completion,  and  call 
upon  their  imaginations  to  locate  Webster,  and  Eve- 
rett,  and  Legare,  and  the  other  Mercuries  of  our  coun- 
try, in  their  respective  seats. 

The  site  for  the  tent  is  well  chosen  on  a  green  en- 
closure, forming  a  natural  amphitheatre.  The  cov- 
ering of  the  Pavilion  is  supported  in  the  centre  by  a 
pillar  between  fifty  and  sixty  feet  in  height,  gradually 
descending  in  a  slope  in  the  Pagoda  style,  until  it 
meets  eight  pillars  supporting  a  frame  work  from 
which  the  canvass  reaches  to  the  ground,  where  it 
is  fastened  as  a  protection  from  air  and  observation. 
The  pillars  are  covered  with  white  cloth  from  the 
base  upward,  and  garlanded  with  flowers  and  ever- 
greens, while  festoons  hang  gracefully  from  different 
quarters  of  the  arch.  The  seats  for  the  President 
of  the  day  and  the  invited  guests  are  placed  on  a 
platform  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  amphitheatre,  while 
semicircular  ranges  of  tables  for  the  alumni,  in  classes, 
occupy  the  whole  rising  ground,  and  are  so  arrang- 


148      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ed  that  every  individual  will  face  the  President  of 
the  day. 

On  this  array  we,  poor  ladies,  looked  like  Eve 
when  driven  from  Paradise,  and  half  turned  Wol- 
stonecraftians  on  the  spot  as  we  fancied  the  intellec- 
tual treat  which  we  could  not  share. 

Next  to  a  view  of  Niagara  has  this  day  thrilled  my 
soul.  The  sun  did  break  out  in  beauty  and  gladness 
over  this  noble  scene  like  a  sent  blessing.  Tears  of 
emotion  have  been  in  the  dim  eyes  of  age,  trickled 
down  the  cheek  of  manhood,  and  glistened  on  the 
face  of  youth,  and  every  woman  who  witnessed  that 
mighty  wave  of  the  intellectual  ocean  of  our  coun- 
try, felt  proud  of  her  connexion  with  Harvard. 

By  nine  o'clock  there  was  a  crowd  of  ladies  at 
the  church  door,  waiting  for  its  opening.  The  key 
was  turned  within,  and  in  we  rushed.  I  should  have 
been  badly  seated,  after  all,  had  not  one  of  the  seats 
reserved  for  the  President's  family  in  the  gallery 
been  kindly  offered  me.  From  that  point  of  view  I 
saw  every  thing  to  the  greatest  advantage,  and 
watched  with  eagerness  the  procession  which  enter, 
ed  in  the  following  order  : 

Students  of  the  University. 

Band  of  Music. 

Chief  Marshal  and  Aids. 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 

President  Quincy  and  Chaplain  of  the  day. 

The  Corporation  of  the  University. 

Ex-President  Kirkland,  and  President  Humphrey 

of  Amherst  College. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      149 

His  Excellency  the  Governor  and  Suite. 

The  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Day. 

Senators  and  Representatives  in  Congress. 

Judges  of  the  United  States  and  State  Courts, 

and  Attorney  General. 

Benefactors  of  the  University,  distinguished  Stran- 
gers, and  other  Guests  specially  invited. 

The  Overseers  of  the  University. 

Professors,  Tutors,  and  Officers  of  the  University. 

Gentlemen  who  have  received  honorary  degrees,  and 

who  do  not  come  under  any  regular 

Class  of  Graduates. 
Graduates  of  the  University  in  the  order  of  their 

Classes,  from  the  oldest  class  present,  to  1836. 

Students  of  the  Divinity  School,  Law  School,  and 

Medical  School,  who  are  not  included 

above. 

There  were  no  ladies  on  the  lower  floor,  but  count- 
less  beaming  eyes  from  the  galleries  testified  their  in- 
terest in  the  human  mass  that  was  collecting  below, 
filling  every  point  of  the  building,  wave  upon  wave. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Ripley  of  Concord,  ninety  years  of 
age,  commenced  the  services  by  prayer.  There  was 
none  of  the  listlessness  perceptible  that  usually  per- 
vades a  promiscuous  audience,  in  this  often  desecrated 
service.  "  The  age  that  was  past"  seemed  speak- 
ing to  one  and  all  from  his  time-worn  form  with  ora- 
cular energy.  Then  the  following  Ode,  by  the  Rev. 
S.  Gilman,  was  performed  by  a  select  choir  : 


13* 


150     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Fair  Harvard !  thy  sons  to  thy  Jubilee  throng, 

And  with  blessings  surrender  thee  o'er, 
By  these  festival-rites,  from  the  Age  that  is  past, 

To  the  Age  that  is  waiting  before. 
O  Relic  and  Type  of  our  ancestor's  worth, 

That  hast  long  kept  their  memory  warm  ! 
First  flower  of  their  wilderness  !     Star  of  their  night, 

Calm  rising  through  change  and  through  storm  ! 

To  thy  bowers  we  were  led  in  the  bloom  of  our  youth, 

From  the  home  of  our  free-roving  years, 
When  our  fathers  had  warn'd,  and  our  mothers  had  pray 'd, 

And  our  sisters  had  blest,  through  thejr  tears, 
Thou  then  wert  our  Parent, — the  nurse  of  our  souls,— 

We  were  moulded  to  manhood  by  thee, 
Till  freighted  with  treasure  thoughts,  frendships  and  hopes, 

Thou  didst  launch  us  on  Destiny's  sea. 

When,  as  pilgrims,  we  come  to  revisit  thy  halls, 

To  what  kindlings  the  season  gives  birth  ! 
Thy  shades  are  more  soothing,  thy  sunlight  more  dear, 

Than  descend  on  less  privileged  earth : 
For  the  Good  and  the  Great,  in  their  beautiful  prime, 

Through  thy  precincts  have  musingly  trod, 
As  they  girded  their  spirits,  or  deepened  the  streams 

That  make  glad  the  fair  City  of  God. 

Farewell !  be  thy  destinies  onward  and  bright ! 

To  thy  children  the  lesson  still  give, 
W^ith  freedom  to  think,  and  with  patience  to  bear, 

And  for  Right  ever  bravely  to  live. 
Let  not  moss-covered  Error  moor  thee  at  its  side, 

As  the  world  on  Truth's  current  glides  by  ; 
Be  the  herald  of  light,  and  the  bearer  of  Love, 

Till  the  stock  of  the  Puritans  die. 

There  was  a  felt  stillness  as  the  sentiment  and  mu- 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     151 

sic  sank  in  every  heart,  and  at  the  close  each  man 
folded  his  printed  copy  carefully  like  a  thing  to  be 
cherished  and  carried  to  his  home. 

President  Quincy's  discourse' was  an  interesting 
revelation  of  the  early  history  of  the  College.  As 
I  walked  to  the  Church  in  the  morning,  1  saw  the 
name  of  Dunster  with  others  enwreathed  over  the 
College  gates,  with  a  dim  feeling  of  ignorance  of  his 
character ;  after  the  address,  on  my  return,  I  looked 
at  it  again  with  changed  impressions.  I  had  become 
acquainted  with  the  first  President  of  Harvard.  His 
hopes,  his  struggles  and  trials  had  been  revealed  to 
me  by  the  orator,  and  I  cast  my  eyes  with  tenfold 
interest  on  the  grave  yard  where  his  remains  had 
so  long  since  mingled  with  the  dust.  There  was  a 
happy  mixture  of  graceful  good  humor  mingled  with 
the  more  serious  matter  of  Mr.  Quincy's  essay,  and 
a  general  smile  lit  up  the  countenances  of  the  audi- 
ence to  whom  bequests  of  thousands  of  dollars  were 
familiar,  to  hear  him  read  records  of  donations  to 
the  College  of  an  iron  spoon  and  pewter  cup,  or  simi- 
lar articles. 

Dr.  Homer  of  Newton,  an  octogenarian  of  the  class 
of  1777,  made  the  concluding  prayer.  The  services 
were  then  closed  by  a  doxology  in  which  every  in- 
dividual appeared  to  join.  The  voices,  perfect  in 
harmony,  came  on  the  ear  like  a  tuned  tempest,  in 
their  solemn  fulness  and  power. 

Most  of  the  ladies  rushed  from  the  house  to  see 
the  procession  move  to  the  Pavilion  ;  a  few,  perhaps 
half  a  dozen,  were  detained  accidentally  in  the  gal- 


152     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

lery,  and  the  formation  of  the  procession  in  the 
Church,  which  they  witnessed,  constituted  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  affecting  scenes  of  the  cele- 
bration. The  marshal  of  the  day  called  "  the  class  of 
1759."  There  was  no  response, — the  only  survivor, 
a  gentleman  from  Maine,  being  incapacitated  from 
attendance.  Successive  classes  were  summoned  ; 
there  was  a  hush  over  that  immense  concourse  that 
would  have  made  a  foot-fall  seem  loud.  At  length 
"  the  class  of  1774"  was  called  ;  a  feeble  old  man 
stepped  forth,  and  passed  along  the  aisle  alone.  A 
reaction  was  experienced,  and  a  burst  of  animated 
cheers  followed  his  tottering  footsteps.  It  was  a 
grand  moment.  I  know  nothing  finer  in  the  poetry 
of  life. 

But  as  life  is  full  of  variety,  so  after  awhile  there 
was  a  little  touch  of  the  ludicrous.  The  printed 
order  made  it  requisite  for  the  marshal  to  call  on 
"  Distinguished  Strangers"  to  join  the  procession. 
At  this  there  was  a  great  deal  of  half  blushing  and 
fidgetting  as  Northern  gentlemen  bowed  and  signed  to 
Southern  gentlemen,  and  middle  State  gentlemen  were 
bowed  to  and  bowed  in  their  turn.  They  might  per- 
haps have  been  bowing  to  this  day,  had  not  the  fore- 
most been  gracefully  hustled  off  the  stage,  and  the  re- 
mainder followed  naturally  as  they  stood.  It  was  a 
glorious  procession  when  they  were  all  farmed,  and 
brought  the  pulse  of  the  spectator  higher  than  mili- 
tary or  civic  grandeur  could  do.  Thirteen  hundred 
persons  passed  before  the  eye,  who  had  all  drank 
from  the  same  intellectual  fountain.  It  was  a  sen. 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     153 

ous  procession,  for  this  would  never  meet  again.  I 
scarcely  saw  a  smile. 

There  were  several  private  circles  which  were  en. 
tertained  by  the  hospitality  of  the  Cambridge  ladies 
at  dinner  ;  and  many  from  them,  to  beguile  the  time 
before  the  President's  levee,  walked  to  the  Pavilion. 
As  we  endeavored  to  press  within,  I  could  compare 
ourselves  to  nothing  but  chickens  trying  at  every 
crevice  to  get  at  their  dam, — now  the  faint  echo  of 
a  song  would  reach  us, — now  the  tones  but  not  the 
words  of  a  familiar  voice, — now  huzzaing  and  clap, 
ping  of  hands,  and  then  that  silence  prevailed,  which 
showed  absorbed  attention  to  some  low  tones  of  elo- 
quence which  we  could  only  fancy. 

But  the  time  approached  for  the  interdict  of  se- 
paration  to  be  taken  off,  and  we  retired  to  dress  for 
the  President's  levee.  At  twilight  the  first  lights 
appeared,  and  by  eight  o'clock  the  illumination  of 
the  Colleges,  the  Law  School,  the  Church  and  other 
buildings  in  the  vicinity  began  to  attract  the  throng. 
Invited  guests  passed  and  repassed  from  the  Presi- 
dent's fashionably  filled  rooms  to  the  College  grounds, 
as  suited  their  inclination.  There  was  no  restraint, 
and  one  could  scarcely  say  which  was  more  attrac- 
tive, the  music,  the  refreshments,  and  elegance  of  the 
saloon,  or  the  brilliant  lights  abroad,  shining  on 
groups  of  happy,  yet  quiet  throngs  of  all  conditions 
and  ages.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  combinations 
at  an  illumination  is  the  effect  produced  by  the  light 
on  trees.  There  is  a  kind  of  unearthly  beauty,  a 
mystery  in  the  waving  of  their  green  boughs,  that 


154  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

attracts  me  more  than  the  glow  of  the  lights ;  and 
the  elms  in  the  College  yard  seemed  from  their  elas- 
ticity to  partake  unusually  of  this  wave  and  hue, 
which  are  so  exquisite. 

It  is  now  near  midnight, — all  is  still ;  the  arti- 
ficial blaze  is  extinguished,  man  has  exhausted  his 
brief  brilliancy,  and  closes  his  eyes  in  rest,  but  there, 
above  and  around  me  shine  the  stars  unfading  and 
untiring  ;  the  northern  lights  shoot  up  their  meteor 
rays  in  silvery  glory,  as  they  did  when  creation  was 
young ;  the  little  fire-fly  prunes  its  light  wing,  and 
flits  as  freshly  as  the  day's  butterfly  ;  the  breeze  too 
is  untired,  as  when  it  first  fanned  the  wings  of  the 
seraphim  in  Paradise,  and  passes  by  my  window 
busy  with  its  own  appointed  task. 

Oh  sleeping  man,  how  thou  dost  struggle  for  thy 
little  brief  authority  over  nature  and  time,  and  how 
helpless  art  thou  !  Yet  what  if  thy  «  brief  candle"  be 
quite  extinguished  here,  not  only  by  sleep  but  death,  it 
shall  be  lit  again  from  new  urns  of  living  light  where 
no  feeble  mottoes  and  inscription  shine  in  momen- 
tary mockery,  but  where,  kindling  in  gem-like  hues, 
illuminating  myriads  and  worlds,  shall  blaze  forth  on 
the  eternal  arch  in  ««  buildings  not  made  with  hands," 
Immortality. 

But  my  far-wandering  thoughts  are  recalled  by 
the  rustling  of  the  wide-spread  arms  of  Washington's 
Elm,  whose  green  leaves  wave  as  lightly  as  when  its 
buds  were  formed  before  we  were  a  nation ;  and  my 
busy  musings  ask  for  measured  words. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      155 


WASHINGTON'S  ELM  AT  CAMBRIDGE. 

Much  hast  thou  seen,  brave  tree, 

Since  thy  young  holiday  of  early  leaf, 
When  thy  slight  branches  struggled  to  be  free, 

And  thy  pale  root  was  brief ! 

More  than  the  common  share 

Has  fallen  to  thy  wondrous  lot,  I  guess, 
Great  antiquarian  of  an  age  most  rare, 

Of  trial,  hope,  success! 

Take  me  among  thy  boughs, 

Good  tree;  I  to  thy  vast  experience  soar ! 
More  than  book  knowledge  can  thy  whisperings  rouse, 

A  sterner,  richer  lore  ! 

I  hear  an  answering  tone 

In  the  long  waving  of  thine  aged  limbs, 
And  the  wind's  low  and  softly  uttered  moan, 

Like  spirits'  midnight  hymns. 

Did  not  the  Indian's  dart, 

When  roving  wild,  make  thy  young  trunk  its  aim  7 
And  some  brown  girl,  beneath  thy  branches,  start 

The  fire-fly  meteor  flame  1 

Dost  thou  remember,  tree, 

Harvard's  first  sons  1     Came  they  beneath  thy  boughs 
With  study  pale — or  wandering  carelessly, 

Dream  of  fair  maiden's  vows  1 

And  does  not  every  leaf 

Stir  with  the  strong  remembrances  of  one, 

The  immortal — the  unconquerable  chief—- 
Thine own — thy  Washington  1 


156     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

To  think  that  he  did  lay 

His  weary  limbs  beneath  thy  very  shade, — 
That  here  he  mused,  and  planned,  and  thought  by  day, — 

That  here  he  nightly  prayed  ! 

To  think  that  here  his  soul 

Writhed  in  some  stirring  of  war's  agony — 
Or  with  a  strong,  prophetic,  deep  control 

Looked  through  to  victory  ! 

Yes !  'tis  a  hallowed  spot ! 

Here  for  my  country  a  new  pulse  beats  high, 
And  woman's  feeble  nature  all  forgot, 

Here  too  even  I  could  die. 

Without  possessing  the  romantic  characteristics 
of  many  of  the  neighboring  towns,  Cambridge  has  a 
peculiar  charm  from  the  associations  connected  with 
it ;  it  may  be  that  beside  its  literary  interest  and  be- 
witching hospitalities,  my  heart  wakes  up  at  the 
sight  of  the  school-house  where  I  conned  my  lessons, 
the  dwelling  around  whose  humble  porch  I  twined 
the  honey-suckle,  and  the  walks  where  I  strolled 
with  my  schoolmates.  I  remember  one  of  those 
schoolmates ;  she  was  called  early  to  her  rest,  but 
a  brighter  mind  never  shone  in  heaven's  spiritual 
constellations,  than  that  which  dwelt  in  the  slight 
figure  of  Mary  Ann  B.  Some  who  read  these  pages 
may  yet  remember  her, — her  laugh  "  that  rang  from 
the  soul ;"  her  wit,  that  sparkled  like  stars  in  the 
shade  of  common  minds ;  her  strong  good  sense, 
that  triumphed  over  her  tendency  to  satire  ;  her  va- 
ried powers,  that  made 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  157 

"  the  long  summer's  day 
Seem  too,  too  much  in  haste." 

Mary  Ann  was  the  life  of  the  masquerades  at 
Cambridge.  It  may  surprise  many,  but  it  is  a  fact, 
that  masquerades  in  college,  exclusively  confined  to 
the  students  however,  were  permitted  as  an  annual 
amusement  so  late  as  1809.  The  maskers  felt  them- 
selves  authorized  to  enter  any  house,  under  any  dis- 
guise they  chose,  throughout  one  appointed  evening. 
There  might  be  seen  the  Cambridge  girls,  usually 
so  retired,  dressed  with  more  than  usual  care  in  the 
slight  ornaments  of  their  unpretending  wardrobes, 
while  unannounced  soldiers  entered  and  knelt  at  their 
feet ;  fortune-tellers  gazed  on  the  lines  of  their  ex- 
tended  hands ;  Indian  chiefs  brandished  their  hatchets 
in  their  quiet  parlors;  pretended  Frenchmen,  with 
snuff  and  broken  phrases,  raised  easy  laughter ; 
lumbering  Falstaffs,  who  had  despoiled  their  beds  of 
pillows,  came  glorious  with  clumsiness  instead  of 
wit ;  while  here  and  there  a  youth  betrayed  himself 
by  an  amphibious  bow,  in  attempting  a  courtsey  as 
a  fair  maiden. 

There  was  another  occasion  where  Mary  Ann  B. 
was  the  soul  of  our  girlish  joy,  in  May  day  excur- 
sions to  Sweet  Auburn.  Shutting  up  our  books  on 
the  first  propitious  day,  we  sallied  to  that  delicious 
retreat,  and  gazed  on  the  page  of  nature.  Doubt- 
less our  hearts  grew  on  those  lovely  jubilees,  and  the 
young  eye  that  seemed  listless  in  its  carelessness,  was 
drinking  in  thought  like  the  breath  of  heaven.  Hap- 
14 


158     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

py  period  !  when  the  heart,  in  its  soarings,  perceives 
that  the  Deity  has  commenced  his  first  felt  spiritual 
creations  on  the  soul,  and  in  gentle  visitings  stamps 
there  pure  thoughts  and  holy  affections !  I  can  re- 
member  nothing  more  delicious  than  this  young 
spirit  of  piety,  this  offering  up  of  the  unstained 
thought  to  its  Maker  in  his  solitudes!  Let  those 
who  live  in  cities  carry  their  children,  sometimes, 
to  a  retreat  of  idleness  ;  let  them  pause  in  the  hurry 
of  the  locomotive  sweep  of  modern  education,  and 
teach  them  by  hill-side  and  rivulet.  I  can  hear 
now,  though  the  din  of  life  has  long  been  sounding 
in  my  ear,  the  murmur  of  the  beech  trees  as  I  sat 
a  child  at  Sweet  Auburn  on  Moss  Hill.  Who  can 
recall  these  emotions  without  thinking  of  eternity  ? 

But  what  a  change  is  here  !  The  city  does  indeed 
throng  to  the  spot  so  sacred  to  my  early  associa- 
tions, leaving  the  dusty  world  behind.  Daily,  hour- 
ly, a  line  of  carriages  stands  at  its  lofty  gate,  and 
countless  guests  pause  at  the  solemn  inscription — 

"  The  dust  shall  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and 
the  spirit  shall  return  to  God  who  gave  it," — 
and  then  enter  to  meditate  among  the  unrivalled 
varieties  of  Mount  Auburn,  or  to  recall  the  follow- 
ing graceful  and  descriptive  language  of  Judge 
Story  at  its  consecration  : 

"  A  rural  Cemetery  seems  to  combine  in  itself  all 
the  advantages  which  can  be  proposed  to  gratify  hu- 
man feelings,  or  tranquillize  human  fears  ;  to  secure 
the  best  religious  influences,  and  to  cherish  all  those 


• 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     159 

associations  which  cast  a  cheerful  light  over  the 
darkness  of  the  grave. 

"  And  what  spot  can  be  more  appropriate  than 
this,  for  such  a  purpose  ?  Nature  seems  to  point  it 
out  with  significant  energy,  as  the  favorite  retire- 
ment for  the  dead.  There  are  around  us  all  the 
varied  features  of  her  beauty  and  grandeur  ;  the  fo- 
rest-cro \vned  height ;  the  abrupt  acclivity;  the  shel- 
tered valley  ;  the  deep  glen  ;  the  grassy  glade  ;  and 
the  silent  grove.  Here  are  the  lofty  oak,  the  beech 
that  '  wreathes  its  old  fantastic  roots  so  high,'  the 
rustling  pine,  and  the  drooping  willow  ;  the  tree, 
that  sheds  its  pale  leaves  with  every  autumn,  a  fit  em- 
blem of  our  transitory  gloom ;  and  the  evergreen, 
with  its  perennial  shoots,  instructing  us  that  '  the 
wintry  blast  of  death  kills  not  the  buds  of  virtue.' 
Here  is  the  thick  shrubbery  to  protect  and  conceal 
the  new-made  grave ;  and  there  is  the  wild-flower 
creeping  along  the  narrow  path,  and  planting  its 
seeds  in  the  upturned  earth.  All  around  us  there 
breathes  a  solemn  calm,  as  if  we  were  in  the  bosom 
of  the  wilderness,  broken  only  by  the  breeze  as  it 
murmurs  through  the  tops  of  the  forest,  or  by  the 
notes  of  the  warbler  pouring  forth  his  matin  or  his 
evening  song. 

"  Ascend  but  a  few  steps,  and  what  a  change  of 
scenery  to  surprise  and  delight  us.  We  seem,  as  it 
were  in  an  instant,  to  pass  from  the  confines  of  death 
to  the  bright  and  balmy  regions  of  life.  Below  us 
flows  the  winding  Charles  with  its  rippling  current, 
like  the  stream  of  time  hastening  to  the  ocean  of 


160       NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

eternity.  In  the  distance,  the  city — at  once  the  ob- 
ject of  our  admiration  and  our  love — rears  its  proud 
eminences,  its  glittering  spires,  its  lofty  towers,  its 
graceful  mansions,  its  curling  smoke,  its  crowded 
haunts  of  business  and  pleasure,  which  speak  to  the 
eye,  and  yet  leave  a  noiseless  loneliness  on  the  ear. 
Again  we  turn,  and  the  walls  of  our  venerable 
University  rise  before  us,  with  many  a  recollection 
of  happy  days  passed  there  in  the  interchange  of 
study  and  friendship,  and  many  a  grateful  thought 
of  the  affluence  of  its  learning,  which  has  adorned 
and  nourished  the  literature  of  our  country.  Again 
we  turn,  and  the  cultivated  farm,  the  neat  cottage, 
the  village  church,  the  sparkling  lake,  the  rich  val- 
ley, and  the  distant  hills,  are  before  us  through  open- 
ing vistas  ;  and  we  breathe  amidst  the  fresh  and 
varied  labors  of  man. 

"  There  is,  therefore,  within  our  reach,  every  va- 
riety of  natural  and  artificial  scenery  which  is  fitted 
to  awaken  emotions  of  the  highest  and  most  afiect- 
ing  character.  We  stand,  as  it  were,  upon  the  bor- 
ders of  two  worlds ;  and  as  the  mood  of  our  minds 
may  be,  we  may  gather  lessons  of  profound  wisdom 
by  contrasting  the  one  with  the  other,  or  indulge  in 
the  dreams  of  hope  and  ambition,  or  solace  our  hearts 
by  melancholy  meditations. 

"  Who  is  there,  that  in  the  contemplation  of  such 
a  scene,  is  not  ready  to  exclaim  with  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  poet, 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     161 

"  '  Mine  be  the  breezy  hill,  that  skirts  the  down, 

Where  a  green,  grassy  turf  is  all  I  crave, 
With  here  and  there  a  violet  bestrown, 
Fast  by  a  brook,  or  fountain's  murmuring  wave, 
And  many  an  evening  sun  shine  sweetly  on  my  grave !'  " 


"  The  voice  of  consolation  will  spring  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  silence  of  these  regions  of  death.  The 
mourner  will  revisit  these  shades  with  a  secret,  though 
melancholy  pleasure.  The  hand  of  friendship  will 
delight  to  cherish  the  flowers  and  the  shrubs  that 
fringe  the  lowly  grave,  or  the  sculptured  monument. 
The  earliest  beams  of  the  morning  will  play  upon 
these  summits  with  a  refreshing  cheerfulness ;  and 
the  lingering  tints  of  evening  hover  on  them  with  a 
tranquillizing  glow.  Spring  will  invite  thither  the 
footsteps  of.  the  young  by  its  opening  foliage  ;  and 
autumn  detain  the  contemplative  by  its  latest  bloom. 
The  votary  of  learning  and  science  will  here  learn 
to  elevate  his  genius  by  the  holiest  studies.  The 
devout  will  here  offer  up  the  silent  tribute  of  pity,  or 
the  prayer  of-gratitude.  The  rivalries  of  the  world 
will  here  drop  from  the  heart ;  the  spirit  of  forgive- 
ness will  gather  new  impulses  ;  the  selfishness  of 
avarice  will  be  checked ;  the  restlessness  of  ambi- 
tion will  be  rebuked  ;  vanity  will  let  fall  its  plumes  ; 
and  pride,  as  its  sees  '  what  shadows  we  are,  and 
what  shadows  we  pursue,'  will  acknowledge  the 
value  of  virtue  as  far,  immeasurably  far,  beyond  that 
of  fame. 

"But  that  which  will  be  ever  present,  pervading 
14* 


162     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

these  shades  like  the  noon-day  sun,  and  shedding 
cheerfulness  around,  is  the  consciousness,  the  irre- 
pressible consciousness,  amidst  all  these  lessons  of 
human  mortality,  of  the  higher  truth,  that  we  are 
beings,  not  of  time  but  of  eternity  ;  '  that  this  cor- 
ruptible  must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal 
must  put  on  immortality.'  That  this  is  but  the 
threshold  and  starting  point  of  an  existence,  compared 
with  whose  duration  the  ocean  is  but  as  a  drop,  nay 
the  whole  creation  an  evanescent  quantity." 

There  is  something  very  touching  in  the  predomi- 
nance of  white  flowers  around  the  graves.  They 
speak,  amid  the  darker  foliage  of  the  grove,  a  lan- 
guage like  hope  in  our  shaded  world.  No  one  should 
visit  Mount  Auburn  without  a  tribute  of  respect  to 
Hannah  Adams,  its  first  occupant.  I  saw  her  often, 
in  my  early  life,  and  as  I  stood  by  her  grave,  recall- 
ed her  modest  worth,  her  strong  integrity,  her  Chris- 
tian hope.  Probably  her  humble  taste  would  have 
chosen  some  violet-covered  bank  for  her  last  resting 
place,  rather  than  the  monumental  shrine  that  ad- 
miring friends  have  awarded  her.  She  humbled 
herself,  and  is  exalted.  I  remember  a  little  trait  of 
modesty  which  in  any  one  else  would  have  seemed 
affectation.  About  the  time  of  her  writing  the  His- 
tory of  the  Jews,  she  was  praising  the  poetical  at- 
tempts of  a  very  young  girl,  who,  feeling  the  compli. 
ment  deeply,  said,  "  Oh,  Miss  Adams,  to  think  that 
you,  who  write  on  such  profound  subjects,  should 
like  my  rhymes  !"  "  My  dear,"  answered  she,  ear- 


JN'OTES   OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.  163 

nestly,  with  her  rapid  and  somewhat  lisping  tone, 
"  my  writings  have  nothing  original ;  they  are  mere 
compilations  /" — yet  this  woman's  works  were  then 
in  the  libraries  of  the  learned. 

The  site  chosen  by  Fanny  Kemble  for  the  inter- 
ment of  a  relative,  is  beneath  cedar  trees,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  sweet-brier;  but  the  sweet-brier  cannot 
thrive  without  the  sun,  and  looks  withered  and  sear- 
ed. 

Spurzheim's  tomb  is  attractive  in  its  simplicity  ; 
he  followed  soon  the  tender  appeal  of  the  orator  at 
the  Consecration — "  Here  let  the  teacher  of  the  phi- 
losophy of  nature  come!" 

Yet  to  me  no  spot  is  more  beautiful  than  that 
which  covers  the  gathered  forms,  beloved  by  the  ora- 
tor himself.  His  affecting  call  has  been  often  sadly 
answered  in  his  own  experience,  for  "  youth  and 
beauty,  blighted  by  premature  decay,  have  dropped 
like  tender  blossoms  into  the  virgin  earth,"  and  the 
hand  of  affection  has  "  cherished  the  shrubs  and 
flowers  that  fringe  their  graves." 

Yet  probably  few  persons,  of  contemplative  minds, 
now  visit  this  sacred  spot,  without  feeling  that  there 
is  too  much  life,  too  much  of  the  world  collected 
there.  Idle  questions  of  childhood,  flippant  jests  of 
the  gay  who  have  none  to  mourn  for,  criticisms  over 
the  model  of  monuments  where  affection  longs  to 
come  and  lie  down  and  weep  alone,  press  on  the  ear 
with  painful  dissonance  to  the  still  harmonies  of  na- 
ture. I  joined  in  the  cry,  It  is  great !  It  is  beauti- 
ful !  But  when  it  was  Sweet  Auburn,  and  I  strayed 


164     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

there  in  my  lonely  childhood,  I  heard  lessons  in  the 
springing  and  falling  leaves,  in  the  undisturbed 
chants  of  birds,  in  the  rushing  of  winds,  as  eloquent 
as  those  which  cluster  over  the  monuments  on  the 
spot  that  classical  hands  and  affectionate  hearts, 
combining  with  its  surpassing  natural  beauties,  are 
tending  to  make  another  wonder  of  the  world. 

The  incongruous  combinations  at  Mount  Auburn 
are  illustrated  by  a  group  whom  one  of  our  friends 
saw  greatly  puzzled  over  the  word  fecit.  "  Who  is 
that  Fecit  family  ?"  said  one  ;  "  there  seem  to  be  a 
great  many  on  'em  !"  By  the  way,  it  is  curious  to 
observe  how  long  this  Latin  word  has  adhered  to 
grave  stones ;  probably,  as  some  punster  cunningly 
said,  because  it  is  a  dead  language  ! 

SWEET  AUBURN. 
NOW  MOUNT  AUBURN  CEMETERY. 

Sweet  Auburn  !  when  a  gay  and  happy  child, 
Playing  with  nature  like  a  favorite  toy, 
J  loved  thy  haunts, — thy  bowers  so  altered  now  \ 
Nine  summers  only  on  my  eyes  had  smiled, 
When  to  thy  wilds,  all  unaccompanied, 
Frequent  I  strayed,  slighting  more  cultured  paths, 
Where  glowed,  mid  wary  steps,  the  weeded  flowers. 
I  sought  thy  mossy  banks — raised  a  green  throne, 
And  wielding  there  the  willow's  flexile  twig, 
Sang  idle  songs,  such  as  ring  wildly  forth 
In  carol  light  or  sad  from  untried  hearts. 

To  Woody  Dell  I  strayed  ;  notlhen  the  voice 
Which  since,  in  manly  eloquence,  has  woke 
Its  echoes,  met  my  ear,  but  the  gay  birds 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  165 

Sent  up  clear  notes  of  joy  from  bough  to  bough, 
Unconscious,  that  those  notes  in  after  years 
Would  change  to  funeral  hymns. 

I  climbed  thy  Hill, 

Whose  noble  height  look'd  down  o'er  art  and  nature. 
The  city's  spires  stood  out,  bathed  in  the  glow 
Of  distant  sun-light,  while  the  gentle  Charles 
Lay  like  a  nursing  child  outstretched  in  joy, 
Soft  murmuring,  beneath  the  waving  boughs. 

Then  with  a  light  but  not  unthinking  mind, 
A  glancing  eye,  and  busy  foot  descending 
The  wooded  Hill,  I  sought  the  Giant's  Grave, 
On  whose  extended  mound  the  wild  flowers  rose. 
The  soft  anemone  stood  peeping  there, 
To  woodland  gaze  the  gentle  snow-drop's  peer, 
And  violets  that  owe  their  witching  charm 
To  kindred  with  an  azure  eye, — and  heaven. 

And  can  it  be  the  hand,  the  same  small  hand, 
That  with  its  soft  and  twining  fingers  loved 
To  cull  the  flowers  on  Auburn's  leafy  slopes, 
That  presses  oft  in  serious  thought  my  brow 
Beneath  the  star-beam  of  a  Southern  sky  1 

Thou,  too,  how  changed,  sweet  Auburn  !  then  of  life, 
Now  of  the  grave  thou  tell'st — thy  bloom  is  mourning  ! 
And  with  the  wild  bird's  song  the  sob  of  woe 

Mingles  most  sad. 

I  ask  no  monument, 

Or  lettered  urn,  within  thy  classic  shades. 
Be  thou  to  me  as  in  my  childish  days 
Clustered  all  o'er  with  bright  imaginings. 
Though  solemn  words  have  sanctified  thy  Dell, 
Linking  its  grassy  clods  with  thoughts  of  heaven, 
Though  with  fastidious  taste  affection's  hand 
Has  piled  the  costly  marble  on  thy  hills, 
And  carved  it  in  thy  vales  ;  though  the  great  dead, 
Great  in  the  intellect  that  cannot  die, 
Have  made  their  bed  with  thee,  to  me  thou  art 


166      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Sweet  Auburn,  and  I  love  thee  as  the  nest 

From  whence  I  joyed  to  plume  my  youthful  wing3 

And  soar  to  man's  high  nature  from  the  child's. 

/  ask  no  monument  within  thy  shades. 
The  rustling  branches  of  our  Southern  groves 
Shall  sooth  my  sleep  of  death,  kindly  as  minds 
That  circle  through  thy  famed  and  cultur'd  bow'rs; 
The  Southern  flower  spring  up  as  soft  and  pure 
As  thine ;  bright  Southern  birds  a  requiem  pour 
As  rich  and  mournful  as  thy  plumed  quire ; 
And  Southern  hearts,  God  knows  how  fervently, 
Breathe  prayers  and  blessings  on  my  humbler  grave. 

WATERTOWN,  Mass. 

The  general  traveller  hurries  though  the  main 
street  of  this  village  without  comment,  though  its 
historical  interest  and  local  beauty  might  call  on 
him  to  pause  if  he  reflected  on  one,  or  but  glanced 
at  the  other.  I,  on  the  contrary,  linger  along  its  river- 
banks,  where  the  Charles  rolls  on  in  placid  bright- 
ness, or  ascend  its  rounded  hill,  where  the  woods 
cluster  like  a  loving  family,  looking  calmly  down  on 
the  residences  that  are  scattered  below,  or  visit  its 
neighboring  country  seats,  where  taste  and  wealth 
have  made  Edens  of  beauty.  The  general  traveller 
has  no  associations  like  mine.  It  was  not  here  that 
he  sojourned,  when  leaving  school  he  began  to  feel 
the  pressure  of  duty  and  responsibility  mingling  in 
with  the  elastic  spirit  of  hope  and  enjoyment ;  he 
tuned  not  his  guitar  on  the  slope  of  that  hill,  nor 
saw  the  sunset  beam  up  in  his  evening  rambles ;  he 
has  not  trod  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  through  wintry 
snows  and  summer  heats  to  yonder  old  Meeting 


NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  167 

House,  offering  up  the  heart's  prayer  in  its  young 
developements*  To  be  sure,  as  the  Sartor  Resartus 
saith,  in  the  days  of  which  I  speak,  "  those  same 
Church  clothes  had  gone  sorrowfully  out  at  elbows, 
nay,  far  worse,  many  of  them  had  become  mere  hol- 
low shapes  or  masks  under  which  no  living  figure 
or  spirit  any  longer  dwelt;"  the  subduing  hand  of 
disease  was  on  the  Pastor ;  we  were  at  the  mercy 
of  a  bass-viol  and  clarionet  that  "  ganged  their  ain 
gates,"  the  chief  merit  of  the  performers  being  phy- 
sical power,  aided,  as  the  Village  Choir  describes, 
by  their  stripping  off  their  coats,  and  beating  time  in 
their  shirt  sleeves.  There  was  no  stove  to  comfort 
the  chilled  devotee  in  winter,  nor  trees  to  shade 
him  in  summer. 

Yet  the  congregation  kept  together.  The  strong 
love  of  some  tie  between  man  and  his  Maker  often 
surmounts  and  conquers  the  most  adverse  circum- 
stances, and  while  externally  all  seemed  nipped  and 
chilled  in  this  garden  of  the  Lord,  "religion  was 
weaving  for  herself  new  vestures  wherewith  to  re-ap- 
pear and  bless,"  and  behold,  she  has  re-appeared  and 
blessed !  A  new  and  beautiful  temple  has  arisen,  crowd- 
ed with  attentive  worshippers.  A  choir  more  full  and 
harmonious  than  can  often  be  met  in  country  towns, 
utters  hymns  of  praise  beneath  its  dome.  An  organ 
rises  in  noble  symmetry,  and  peals  its  triumphant 
notes  as  if  glad  to  be  an  instrument  of  God's  glory  ; 
and  his  oracles  are  unfolded  by  one  of  the  brightest 
minds  he  has  created. 

I  have  attended  the  dedication  of  this  very  chaste 


168     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

edifice.  There  is  something  exceedingly  affecting 
in  leaving  the  church  of  one's  familiar  worship. 
The  old  building  stands  with  a  solitary  and  almost 
human  look  of  appeal  to  those  who  cast  it  off  to 
lonely  decay.  The  grave-yard,  too,  what  a  Ian- 
guage  it  speaks  !  No  ground  can  seem  so  consecrat- 
ed as  that  where  our  first  tears  have  fallen  ;  and  all 
the  monuments  of  Mount  Auburn,  rising  in  the  vi- 
cinity, are  not  so  touching  to  me  as  the  now  deserted 
tomb  of  two  bright  boys,  whom  I  saw  laid  in  this 
grave-yard  by  hearts  breaking  with  the  tumult  of 
their  first  woes.  Can  it  be  more  than  twenty  years 
since  those  children  were  covered  like  shut-up 
blossoms  beneath  that  sod  ?  Sometimes  in  looking 
over  my  relics  of  the  past  I  see  a  soft  light  curl. 
I  took  it  from  the  brow  of  the  elder  as  he  lay  beau- 
tiful  in  death ;  his  perfect  features  still  and  fair  as 
chiselled  marble.  1  had  watched  his  slow  decay  ;  I 
saw  the  dimpled  hand  grow  thin,  the  blue  eye  become 
dim,  and  the  smile  that  once  lit  his  face  beam  slow 
and  sickly.  His  little  arm  could  no  longer  clasp 
my  neck  ;  he  lay  passive  in  my  arms,  and  so  he  died. 
What  a  struggle  has  he  escaped  !  How  often  might 
that  severed  curl  have  lain  upon  a  throbbing  temple  ; 
how  often  been  pressed  by  a  hand,  whose  pulses 
beat  to  sorrow  and  despair ! 

These  thoughts  came  upon  me  in  the  solemnities 
of  the  dedication  of  the  new  temple,  yet  I  soon  be- 
gan  to  sympathize  with  those  who  felt  a  happy  pride 
in  their  religious  ark  ;  who  had  wafted  it  along  by 
noble  efforts  and  had  come  up  to  give  their  vows 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     169 

and  take  shelter  for  their  souls  ;  nor  can  I  deny  my- 
self  the  pleasure  of  recalling  some  of  the  high  and 
beautiful  thoughts  with  which  their  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Convers  Francis,  led  their  devotions. 

"  It  is  a  poor  philosophy  and  a  narrow  religion," 
said  he,  "which  does  not  recognise  God  as  all  in 
all.  Every  moment  of  our  lives,  we  breathe,  stand, 
or  move  in  the  temple  of  the  Most  High ;  for  the 
whole  universe  is  that  temple.  Wherever  we  go,  the 
testimony  to  his  power,  the  impress  of  his  hand,  are 
there.  Ask  of  the  bright  worlds  around  us,  as  they 
roll  in  the  everlasting  harmony  of  their  circles ;  and 
they  shall  tell  you  of  Him,  whose  power  launched 
them  on  their  courses.  Ask  of  the  mountains,  that 
lift  their  heads  among  and  above  the  clouds;  and 
the  bleak  summit  of  one  shall  seem  to  call  aloud 
to  the  snow-clad  top  of  another,  in  proclaiming 
their  testimony  to  the  Agency  which  has  laid  their 
deep  foundations.  Ask  of  ocean's  waters  ;  and  the 
roar  of  their  boundless  waves  shall  chant  from  shore 
to  shore  a  hymn  of  ascription  to  that  Being,  who 
hath  said,  '  Hitherto  shall  ye  come  and  no  further.' 
Ask  of  the  rivers ;.  and,  as  they  roll  onward  to  the 
sea,  do  they  not  bear  along  their  ceaseless  tribute  to 
the  ever-working  Energy,  which  struck  open  their 
fountains  and  poured  them  down  through  the  val- 
leys? Ask  of  every  region  of  the  earth,  from  the 
burning  equator  to  the  icy  pole,  from  the  rock-bound 
coast  to  the  plain  covered  with  its  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion ;  and  will  you  not  find  on  them  all  the  record 
of  the  Creator's  presence?  Ask  of  the  countless 
15 


170     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

tribes  of  plants  and  animals ;  and  shall  they  not 
testify  to  the  action  of  the  great  Source  of  Life  ? 
Yes,  from  every  portion,  from  every  department  of 
nature,  comes  the  same  voice  ;  everywhere  we  hear 
thy  name,  O  God ;  everywhere  we  see  thy  love. 
Creation,  in  all  its  length  and  breadth,  in  all  its  depth 
and  height,  is  the  manifestation  of  thy  Spirit,  and 
without  thee  the  world  were  dark  and  dead.  The  uni- 
verse is  to  us  as  the  burning  bush  which  the  Hebrew 
leader  saw ;  God  is  ever  present  in  it,  for  it  burns 
with  His  glory,  and  the  ground  on  which  we  stand 
is  always  holy. 

"  How  then  can  we  speak  of  that  Presence  as  pe- 
culiarly in  the  sanctuary,  which  is  abroad  through 
all  space  and  time? 

***** 

"Yet  it  is  interesting  to  contemplate  the  progress 
of  Christianity  in  respect  to  the  external  accommoda- 
tions enjoyed  by  its  disciples.  We  look  back  on  the 
little  and  friendless  band  of  the  Saviour's  followers, 
just  after  they  had  returned  from  the  memorable 
scene,  at  which  their  Master  bade  them  farewell,  to 
go  to  his  Father  and  their  Father,  to  his  God  and 
their  God.  They  turned  away,  as  we  may  suppose, 
with  heavy  hearts,  and  when  they  reached  Jerusa- 
lem, assembled  in  '  an  upper  room,'  where  they  con- 
tinued  '  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion.' What  holy  and  touching  associations  does 
imagination  attach  to  that  room,  where  were  gather- 
ed the  small  company  of  God's  messengers,  from 
whom  the  word  of  life  was  to  go  forth  subduing  and 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      171 

blessing  the  world  !  Time  rolled  on,  arid  that  little 
band  grew  into  a  large  body  of  believers,  holding 
'  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,'  and 
carrying  with  them  the  power  that  was  to  effect  the 
greatest  moral  revolution  in  the  annals  of  the  world. 
During  this  time,  they  had  stated  places  of  meeting, 
though  not  such  as  were  then  denominated  temples. 
As  their  numbers  increased,  and  as  they  found  periods 
of  peace  and  favor  from  the  civil  power,  they  built 
their  churches.  These  were  multiplied  rapidly,  in- 
somuch that  when  the  edict  of  Diocletian  went  forth 
for  the  destruction  of  such  edifices,  there  were  more 
than  forty  of  these  basilica,  in  the  city  of  Rome  alone. 
Christianity  passed  through  its  seasons  of  sunshine 
and  of  storm,  ever  growing,  ever  reaching  forth  to 
wider  conquest,  till  a  Christain  emperor  was  seated 
on  the  throne,  and  the  banner  of  the  cross  became 
the  banner  of  empire.  Then  architecture,  in  its 
most  costly  and  magnificent  forms,  was  summoned 
into  the  service  of  the  religion  of  Jesus ;  and,  when 
Constantino  had  finished  a  church  at  Jerusalem,  the 
bishops  were  gathered  from  the  various  parts  of 
Christendom,  to  perform  with  due  magnificence  the 
solemn  rites  of  dedication.  From  that  time  the 
spread  of  the  religion  was  accompanied  by  the  mul- 
tiplication of  edifices  adorned  with  solemn  beauty, 
and  consecrated  to  the  services  by  which  the  soul, 
in  visible  forms,  manifests  its  relation  to  the  Infinite 
One  and  to  spiritual  being. 

"  A.nd    now,  instead  of  that  one  '  upper  room,' 
where  the  little  company  of  heart-stricken  disciples 


172    NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

met,  surrounded  by  a  hostile  world,  we  look  abroad 
on  those  parts  of  the  earth  which  are  most  distin- 
guished by  all  the  refinements  of  life,  and  in  which 
the  great  intellectual  power  of  mankind  resides,  and 
see  them  abounding  in  the  splendid  memorials  of 
Christian  worship,  which  echo  to  the  prayers  and 
praises  of  countless  multitudes  keeping  the  holy  day 
of  the  Gospel.  The  traveller  lingers  with  reverent 
delight  among  the  venerable  temples  and  time-hal- 
lowed  cathedrals  of  the  old  world ;  and  our  own 
fair  land,  a  new  and  glorious  conquest  for  the  Gos- 
pel, is  covered  with  churches,  whose  towers  and 
spires  glitter  in  her  crowded  cities,  or  point  peace- 
fully  to  heaven  on  the  hills  and  along  the  valleys  of 
her  beautiful  villages." 

I  congratulated  an  old  inhabitant,  after  the  ser- 
vices, on  the  finished  beauty  of  the  building,  the 
crimson  hangings,  the  noble  organ,  and  the  various 
accompaniments  of  convenience  and  taste,  and  we 
were  naturally  led  to  the  discussion  whether  religious 
services  were  more  faithfully  attended  now,  than  when 
long  walks  and  thin  walls  tested  the  sincerity  of  the 
worshipper.  She  lamented  that  with  all  the  luxurious 
aids  of  modern  times,  an  indifference  was  manifested 
now-adays  towards  attendance  at  church,  that  would 
have  made  our  stricter  forefathers  groan  in  spirit. 
Her  grandmother  had  told  her,  that  no  distance  or 
inclemency  of  weather  had  prevented  her  from  going 
to  meeting  when  a  girl ;  that  mothers  took  their  in- 
fants when  but  four  weeks  old,  and  wrapping  them 
in  their  arms,  travelled  through  snow  and  sunshine 


NOTES    OP   A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  173 

to  the  ordinances  of  religion.  There  were  seats 
provided  in  the  broad  aisle  for  those  who  had  babies, 
and  they  generally  brought  apparatus  for  feeding 
them.  My  informant  was  obliged  to  confess,  how- 
ever,  one  accident  that  occurred  in  this  church  nur- 
sery, which  more  fastidious  modern  taste  has  avoid- 
ed. A  dog  prowling  about  the  porringers  of  pap 
and  fennel-seed  in  the  broad  aisle,  came  to  a  pitcher 
of  milk,  and  thrust  his  head  in.  As  if  to  punish 
this  sacrilegious  theft  his  head  stuck  there,  and  un- 
able to  relieve  himself  he  ran  from  pew  to  pew  with 
the  pitcher  attached  to  him,  drawing  away  the  at- 
tention of  the  congregation  from  the  7thly  and  8thly» 
with  which  they  ought  to  have  been  edified. 

WORCESTER,  Mass. 

The  cars  left  South  Boston,  a  part  of  the  great 
metropolis  destined  to  hold  an  important  weight  in 
this  region,  between  three  and  four  P.  M.,  for  this 
exquisite  town.  It  was  a  brilliant  summer's  after- 
noon ;  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  would  have  been 
almost  charm  enough  to  one  who  loves  to  watch  the 
varying  lights  and  shades  in  the  bird-like  flight  of  a 
rail-road,  but  I  was  blessed  beyond  the  joy  of  exter- 
nal nature  in  the  presence  of  friends  whom  absence 
had  not  chilled,  and  whose  tenderness  threw  a  mel- 
low freshness  on  the  heart,  like  the  sun's  rays  that 
began  to  slant  in  yellow  glory  around  us.  Journey- 
ing in  Massachusetts  is  a  good  deal  like  reading 
Thomson's  poetry.  As  cultivated  fields,  and  gentle 
slopes,  and  miniature  streams,  and  mimic  lakes  flit 
15* 


174     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

by,  a  gentle  and  dreamy  repose  steals  over  the  mind, 
opposed,  and  perhaps  not  unpleasantly,  to  the  sterner 
beauties  of  more  Northern  scenery.  Two  hours'  ex- 
cursion,  I  think,  brought  us  to  Worcester,  and  it  has 
seemed  to  me,  in  my  short  and  happy  visit  of  twen- 
ty-four hours  here,  that  1  am  in  a  garden.  I  have 
been  in  no  place  where  the  cultivation  of  externals 
appeared  so  much  the  fashion.  It  is  a  real  gift  to 
the  stranger  to  decorate  one's  windows  and  porches 
with  flowers,  and  let  him  peep  into  open  fences  where 
nature  and  art  are  busy,  instead  of  shutting  up  their 
products  within  massy  walls. 

A  stranger,  of  course,  is  carried  to  the  rooms  of 
the  Antiquarian  Society,  and  there,  as  he  turns  to 
the  books,  and  likenesses,  and  relics,  he  feels  that 
even  an  American  begins  to  have  a  peg  on  which  to 
hang  national  reminiscences.  The  two  first  bibles 
published  in  America  were  issued  at  Worcester  in 
1791.  As  I  was  turning  over  the  file  of  an  old  colony 
newspaper,  I  was  struck  with  an  advertisement,  the 
force  of  which  can  only  be  felt  by  one  who  has  tra- 
velled through  our  country,  and  seen  the  time-pieces 
that  decorate  the  most  common  establishments.  It 
was  to  this  effect :  "  A  clock-maker  from  London  may 
be  expected  to  travel  in  July  next,  through  Philadel- 
phia, New- York  and  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
pairing old  clocks  !" 

The  Hospital  for  the  Insane  exhibits  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  all  charities  in  the  greatest  possi- 
ble perfection.  It  seems  to  me  that  no  one,  with 
the  proper  control  of  his  reasoning  powers,  can  see 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     175 

our  asylums  in  this  country  without  deciding  that 
they  should  be  his  refuge  if  destined  to  the  calamity 
of  insanity.  We  found  most  of  the  patients  employ- 
ed and  cheerful.  We  were  introduced  by  the  attend- 
ing physician,  to  whose  politeness  we  were  much  in- 
debted, to  several  interesting  individuals.  After  a 
very  courteous  reception  from  one,  who  was  told 
that  we  came  from  South  Carolina,  he  said,  ab- 
ruptly, "  Have  you  felt  any  of  my  earthquakes  there 
lately  ?" 

On  one  of  the  party  replying  in  the  negative,  he 
frowned,  and  said, — 

"  I  knew  it.  I  have  an  enemy.  Ice — ice — Why, 
I  ordered  one  of  my  best  earthquakes  for  your  part 
of  the  country  !  It  was  to  have  ripped  up  the  earth, 
and  sent  the  Mississippi  rushing  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Look  here,"  he  continued,  pointing  to  a 
slight  crack  in  the  plastering,  his  arm  stretched  out 
with  an  air  of  importance,  "  that  is  one  of  my  earth, 
quakes.  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?" 

Passing  by  a  variety  of  characters,  we  came  to 
an  apartment  on  the  women's  gallery,  where  sat  a 
very  neatly  dressed  female.  She  welcomed  us  with 
peculiar  grace,  requested  us  to  be  seated,  and  one 
of  our  party  said,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  happy." 

"  Happy !"  exclaimed  she,  "  Oh  am  I  not  happy  ? 
Providence  has  been  too  kind  to  me.  I  am  loaded 
with  blessings  ;  my  heart,"  (and  she  pressed  it  fer- 
vently) "  is  overwhelmed  with  mercies.  I  have 
every  thing  that  I  want,  and  oh,  much  more  than  I 
deserve  !  Yes,  one  thing  I  do  want,  ladies,"  (in 


176  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

a  low  tone)  "  the  tear  of  gratitude ;  it  will  not  flow,  I 
am  surrounded  with  blessings,  yet  my  eyes  are  dry. 
Oh,  ladies,  for  the  tear  of  gratitude  !"  We  left  her 
with  her  hand  on  her  heart,  and  her  bright  glaring 
eyes  upraised  to  heaven. 

1  think  it  was  at  the  Hospital  in  New- York,  I  was 
congratulating  one  of  the  insane  who  had  been  con. 
versing  with  me  very  rationally,  upon  her  comforta- 
ble quarters,  when  she  turned  to  me  abruptly  with  a 
knowing  wink,  and  whispered  close  to  my  ear, — 

"  Suppose  you  come  and  try  how  comfortable  it 
is!" 

CAMBRIDGE. 

I  left  beautiful  Worcester  with  regret,  for  beside 
its  imposing  location  and  tasteful  residences,  and 
admirable  institutions,  there  were  minds  near  which 
I  should  have  joyfully  lingered.  I  had  my  usual 
good  fortune  in  delicious  weather.  Again  the  rail- 
cars  darted  on,  and  again  the  setting  sun  shone  glad- 
ly over  glowing  nature,  and  I  reached  Boston  after 
this  formerly  long  journey  as  quickly  as  a  fairy  on  a 
moonbeam,  and  prepared  for  an  evening  party. 
Why  can  I  say  so  little  about  parties,  even  in  Bos- 
ton ?  There  was  the  brilliantly  illuminated  room 
that  cast  no  shadow,  the  softand  courteous  salute,dis- 
tinguished  strangers,  stately  ladies,  graceful  girls, 
ornaments  lavished  by  taste  and  wealth,  fruits  rich  and 
tempting ;  all  that  the  eye  seeks  when  it  asks  for  fa- 
shion  and  splendor ;  nothing  that  the  heart  wants 
when  it  yearns  for  answering  sympathy;  nothing  that 
the  mind  cherishes  when  it  seeks  intellectual  food. 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     177 

Parties  are  levellers  of  intellect ;  evv3n  wit,  that  light 
ball,  gets  lost  in  a  crowd,  however  high  the  skilful 
hand  may  toss  it ;  and  as  for  wisdom,  she,  poor  thing, 
hides  behind  the  fold  of  some  damask  curtain  and 
moralizes  in  silence. 

There  is,  however,  in  Cambridge,  a  very  pleasant 
association  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  called  the  Book 
Club,  which  is  an  exception  to  the  above  charge.  It 
is  composed  of  twenty  families,  and  a  meeting  of 
the  members  takes  place  the  first  Thursday  evening 
of  each  month,  at  their  respective  houses,  in  regu- 
lar order.  A  subscription  of  five  dollars  per  annum  is 
paid  by  every  family,  and  this  amount  is  laid  out  in 
the  purchase  of  recent  publications  of  any  value. 
These  books  are  circulated  in  regular  succession 
to  all  the  members  of  the  Club.  A  certain  number 
of  days  are  allowed  for  the  reading  of  a  book  ;  at 
the  expiration  of  the  time  it  is  forwarded  to  another 
member,  and  thus  they  are  kept  in  circulation  through 
the  year.  If  the  book  is  retained  over  the  time  al- 
lowed, a  fine  is  laid  at  five  cents  per  day  during  the 
period  of  detention.  This  regulation  has  a  tenden- 
cy to  make  the  members  punctual. 

At  the  annual  meeting  the  members  have  a  sale 
of  the  books  on  hand,  by  an  auction  among  them- 
selves, and  the  proceeds  are  appropriated  to  the  pur- 
chase of  new  books  for  the  following  year.  This  as- 
sociation has  existed  several  years,  and  it  has  been 
found  to  exercise  a  very  happy  influence  on  society. 
The  evening  on  which  they  meet,  passes  in  agree- 
able conversation,  and  as  the  refreshments  are  simple, 


178  NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

and  give  little  trouble  in  the  preparation,  there  is 
less  of  formality  and  ceremony  than  in  most  parties. 
Strangers  are  invited,  and  it  affords  them  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  refined  and  literary  society  of 
Cambridge.  The  members  are  chosen  by  ballot,  and 
the  choice  must  be  unanimous  ;  by  this  arrangement 
great  harmony  prevails,  and  it  preserves  the  charac- 
ter of  a  select  society.  The  circumstance  that  the 
same  books  are  read  and  enjoyed  by  so  many,  gives 
an  interest  to  the  members,  affords  topics  of  conversa- 
tion of  a  cheerful  nature,  and  a  knowledge  of  the 
passing  literature  of  the  day  at  little  expense  of  time 
or  money. 

SALEM,  Mass. 

I  must  begin  with  a  protest  against  the  joke  of 
table  drawers  in  this  good  city,  as  I  hold  it  from  re- 
peated experience  to  be  a  great  libel ;  better  dinners 
or  more  hospitable  hearts  are  rarely  to  be  found  ; 
but  as  every  one  may  not  understand  the  allusion,  I 
must  mention,  that  it  has  been  handed  down  as  a 
kind  of  traditionary  characteristic  of  the  Salem  peo- 
ple, that  they  keep  their  food  in  table  drawers  at 
meals,  that  when  a  knock  is  heard  at  the  door  it 
may  be  slipped  in,  lest  they  should  be  expected  to 
ask  visiters  to  partake  ! 

The  drive  to  Salem  from  Boston  is  over  an  excel- 
lent road,  and  occupies  but  two  hours  ;  this  however 
is  too  slow  for  modern  habits  ;  nothing  but  a  rail-road 
will  answer  in  our  hurrying  era.  I  confess  the  turn- 
pike affords  but  little  in  its  scenery  to  attract  the 


NOTES    OF   A   NORTHERN   EXCURSION,  179 

eye,  since  long  ranges  of  sterile  land  are  almost  all 
that  is  visible.  Now  and  then  the  ocean  is  in  sight, 
and  sometimes  a  green  spot  where  the  eye  revels,  as 
much  from  contrast  as  for  its  natural  beauties.  It 
is  a  little  singular  that  I  should  have  heard  the  same 
two  anecdotes  told  by  the  passengers  in  the  stage 
on  this  drive,  that  I  did  some  years  ago  on  the  same 
road. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear,"  said  one.  "  of  a  man  who 
robbed  himself  near  this  bridge  ?"  (the  floating 
bridge.) 

"  No,"  was  the  answer,  "  that  sounds  oddly." 

"  As  a  traveller  was  passing  this  spot,"  said  the  first 
speaker,  "  he  heard  groans  of  distress  and  cries  for 
assistance.  Alighting  from  his  vehicle,  he  searched 
the  neighboring  fence,  where  he  found  a  man  lying 
prostrate.  He  had  been  attacked,  he  said,  by  rob- 
bers, who  had  taken  from  him  a  large  sum  of  money 
with  which  he  had  been  entrusted,  bruised  and  beat- 
en  him,  threatened  his  life,  thrown  him  over  the 
fence,  and  had  then  run  away.  The  good  stranger 
assisted  him  to  rise,  sympathized  in  his  misfortunes, 
and  carried  him  on  his  way.  Suspicions  were  after- 
wards excited,  he  was  arrested,  and  proved  to  have 
robbed  himself  in  order  to  keep  the  money  !" 

"  You  have  hearn  the  story  of  the  pump,  I  reck- 
on,"  said  another  traveller.  Most  of  us  smiled,  but 
one  had  not,  and  asked  for  it. 

"  Well,  one  night,"  said  the  passenger,  "  a  gentle- 
man was  ridin'  from  Borston,  and  it  might  be  a  little 
darker  than  this,  just  a  kind  of  glimmer  you 


180      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

know,  when  folks  dont  see  real.  This  is  a  plaguy 
pokerish  road  o'  nights,  and  about  them  times  there 
was  stories  of  highwaymen  about.  Well,  this  gen- 
tleman  got  pretty  nigh  home,  and  was  despert  scar- 
ed  to  see  a  figur  standing  right  at  the  road  side  with 
his  arms  out,  tryin  to  stop  him  with  a  pistol  cocked  ; 
so  he  rammed  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  took  out 
his  purse,  and  says  he,  « Sir,  spare  my  life  and  take 
my  money.'  Well,  he  threw  the  purse  slat  upon 
the  ground,  at  the  robber's,  feet,  and  rid  on  in  a  jif- 
fey.*  When  he  got  home  he  told  how  he  had  been 
attacked  by  robbers,  and  made  such  a  to  do  that  the 
folks  double  locked  their  doors.  The  next  morning 
as  another  person  was  ridin'  along  the  turnpike,  he 
seen  a  well-filled  purse  lyin'  down  under  the  nose  of 
a  pump  by  the  road  side  !" 

When  our  laugh  had  subsided,  the  driver  stopped 
a  moment,  and  we  heard,  not  a  robber's  but  a  child's 
voice  asking  us  to  buy  pond  lilies,  and  one  of  the 
passengers,  a  stranger,  gallantly  purchased  all  and 
presented  them  to  us.  These  little  acts  of  courtesy 
are  the  poetry  of  travelling.  How  many  I  have  met 
on  my  way ! 

It  was  late  twilight,  and  I  could  not  see  the  beau- 
tiful flowers,  but  their  odour  was  enough  for  me.  I 
was  wafted  back  to  childhood,  beside  a  still  pond, 
where  I  saw  their  white  petals  and  yellow  stamens 
floating  on  the  waters. 

The  city  authorities  which  have  been  organized 

*  At  a  quick  rate. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     181 

only  a  few  months,  and  have  lately  finished  the  pres- 
sure of  their  duties,  with  a  true  esprit  du  corps,  have 
made  an  excursion  together  among  the  islands  round 
the  harbor,  with  a  few  gentlemen  strangers.  This 
is  really  an  interesting  circumstance,  and  perhaps 
it  would  soften  many  a  heart  if  men  of  business 
would  sometimes  steal  a  day  from  the  city,  and  look 
thus  on  nature.  Some  of  them  went  fishing,  some 
black-berrying,  others  laid  under  the  shade  of  trees 
in  pleasant  intercourse  until  the  main  party  return- 
ed  with  their  fishing  trophies,  and  they  all  partook 
of  a  repast,  giving  themselves  up  to  the  lighthearted- 
ness  of  youth  with  the  additional  spicy  wit  of  ma- 
turer  age. 

Salem  is  justly  proud  of  her  Museum,  and  its  pe- 
culiar value  has  arisen  from  the  marine  taste  of  the 
people,  who  have  contributed  to  it  for  a  long  series 
of  years,  mostly  from  the  East  India  voyages.  It  is 
singular  that  the  charge  of  penuriousness  should  be- 
long  to  a  town  where  there  has  always  been  a  large 
complement  of  seamen,  a  race  of  men  notorious  for 
their  warm  hearts  and  open  hands.  This  generosi- 
ty is  very  perceptible  in  the  elegant  contributions 
which  have  been  lavished  on  this  pet  of  the  com- 
munity. But  while  the  scientific  eye  ranges  with 
delight  over  such  vast  collections,  I  feel  a  weariness 
of  head  and  feet  in  the  well-filled  galleries.  One 
bird  flying  in  solitary  freedom  over  the  green  trees, 
one  shell  tinged  with  its  rich  natural  painting,  one 
flower  throwing  out  its  perfume,  one  insect  hum- 
ming in  the  sunshine,  one  painting  hanging  without 
16 


182  NOTES   OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

competitors,  where  I  can  take  in  the  whole  expres- 
sion, one  relic  of  antiquity  bringing  up  the  strong 
associations  of  the  past,  give  me  more  delight  than 
the  most  crowded  halls. 

It  may  be  that  the  smallness  of  the  number  attract- 
ed  my  admiration,  but  I  have  rarely  seen  a  collec- 
tion so  brilliant  as  one  of  entomology  in  Salem,  dis- 
connected however  with  the  Museum.  I  think  it  is 
kept  by  a  private  association.  Were  it  not  for  the 
savage  spears  that  impaled  them,  these  insects  would 
have  seemed  ready  to  fly. 

The  scenery  around  Salem  is  not  picturesque,  but 
we  enjoyed  a  delightful  drive  through  Lynn  to  the 
mineral  spring.  Lynn,  which  is  recorded  in  the 
geographies  as  only  remarkable  for  shoe-making, 
has  taken  great  strides  in  wealth,  and  also  boasts 
its  literary  associations.  In  the  last  year  no  less 
than  six  hundred  houses  have  been  erected.  An  in- 
telligent gentleman  informed  us  of  one  peculiarity 
of  this  place.  The  shoe-makers  are  its  aristocracy, 
that  is,  they  stand  higher  than  store  keepers,  &c. 
This  would  furnish  a  good  hint  for  a  political  econo- 
mist. 

The  burial  ground  at  Danvers  is  remarkable  as 
being  the  resting  place  of  the  heroine  of  one  of  our 
earliest  American  novels,  Eliza  Wharton.  Eliza 
Wharton  was  written  by  Mrs.  Foster  of  Brighton, 
Mass,  about  fifty  years  since,  and  relates,  under  that 
name,  the  history  of  an  unfortunate  girl,  over  whose 
melancholy  fate  many  tears  have  been  shed.  It  is 
said  that  some  years  after  she  had  died  of  a  broken 


NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     183 

heart,  a  stranger  came  to  Danvers,  passed  one  night 
in  loneliness  and  lamentation  over  her  grave,  and 
went  away  without  communicating  his  name.  In 
youth,  in  my  days  of  romance,  (who  has  not  had 
them  ?)  I  once  strolled  over  this  hurial  ground  as  I 
passed  through  the  village,  and  gathered  some  wild 
flowers. 

The  pond  by  the  mineral  spring  at  Lynn  is  a 
spot  of  great  loveliness.  After  wandering  along  the 
banks,  a  portion  of  our  company  were  induced  to 
step  into  a  small  sail  boat  that  lay  very  temptingly 
at  hand,  and  with  the  excitement  usually  attendant 
on  such  enterprises,  pushed  off.  The  scene  was  as 
bright  as  a  rich  setting  sun  on  the  clear  water  and 
waving  trees  could  make  it ;  but  unfortunately  the 
wind  changed  as  we  were  about  to  return,  and  then, 
instead  of  holding  up  our  "  happy  human  faces"  to 
take  in  this  rich  scene,  it  was  nothing  but  tack,  tack. 
Our  nice  bonnets  were  wedged  down  to  let  the  boom 
pass  over  us,  and  we  gained  about  a  foot  only  at 
each  movement ;  and  what  added  to  the  ridiculous 
in  our  situation  was,  that  our  friends  ashore  were 
envying  us,  thinking  that  it  was  prolonged  from 
choice,  and  that  we  were  playing  with  the  winds  and 
waters. 

Dr.  Brazer's  church  in  Salem  is  one  among  the 
most  attractive  looking  buildings  I  have  yet  seen. 
It  is  constructed  of  a  rich,  dark  granite,  the  stones 
carefully  split  and  cut  in  blocks  of  a  uniform  size, 
but  not  hewn  or  polished.  This  plan  gives  to  the 
whole  structure  a  massy  effect. 


184     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

The  church,  now  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
Rev.  Charles  Upham,  claims  to  be  the  First  Ameri- 
can Congregational  Church.  The  second  Century 
Lecture  was  delivered  there  in  1829.  In  turning 
over  the  pages  of  this  interesting  discourse,  I  was 
struck  with  the  following  exquisite  lines  of  Hugh 
Peters,  one  of  its  ministers  in  the  first  century  : 

HUGH  PETERS'S  WISH  FOR  HIS  DAUGHTER. 

I  wish  you  neither  poverty 

Nor  riches, 
But  godliness,  so  gainful 

Without  content ; 
No  painted  pomp  nor  glory  that 

Bewitches ; 
A  blameless  life  is  the  best 

Monument ; 
And  such  a  soul  that  soars  a- 

Bove  the  skie, 
Well  pleased  to  live,  but  better 

Pleased  to  die, 

I  cannot  resist  adding  the  following  synopsis  of 
Hugh  Peters's  work,  written  during  his  confinement 
in  the  Tower, — "'A  dying  father's  last  Legacy  to  an 
only  child,"  which  is  extracted  in  Mr.  Upham's 
notes : 

Whosoever  would  live  long  and 

Blessedly,  let  him  observe  these 

Following  Rules,  by  which 

He  shall  attain  to  that 

Which  he  desireth. 


NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 


185 


"  Thoughts 

r  Divine,               Awful, 

Godly. 

Talk 

Little.                 Honest. 

True. 

Words 

Profitable,        .  Holy, 

Charitable. 

Manners 

Grave,                 Courteous, 

Cheerful. 

Dyet 

Temperate,         Convenient, 

Apparel 

-bc- 

Frugal. 
Sober,                 Neat, 

Comely. 

Will 

Constant,            Obedient, 

Sleep 

Ready. 
Moderate,            Quiet, 
Seasonable. 

Prayers 

Short,  Devout,   Often, 

Fervent. 

Recreation 

Lawful,               Brief, 

Seldom. 

Memory 

Of  Death,          Punishment, 

, 

Glory. 

Salem  has  been,  and  is,  as  distinguished  for  her 
politicians  and  men  of  science  and  professional  su- 
periority as  any  quarter  of  our  country,  and  female 
intellect  has  there  expanded  in  full  bloom.  In  look- 
ing  back  on  her  literary  history,  there  is  a  blank 
on  her  poetical  page.  I  will  not  even  except  the 
volume  of  one  of  her  judicial  sons,  (Salem  claims 
his  earlier  powers,)  since  he,  as  he  stands  now  on 
his  high  eminence,  grasping  the  key  of  legal  know- 
ledge,  pronounces  poetry  the  sin  of  his  youth.  Ac- 
cording  to  my  theory,  the  perfect,  in  whatever  it  may 
consist,  is  poetical,  and  thus  the  learned  Judge  be- 
longs  to  the  Muses  in  jurisprudence  if  not  in  rhyme. 

CHARLESTOWN,  MASS. 

The  objects  which  have  made  a  day  and  evening 
16* 


186  NOTES    OF    A   NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

pass  off  with  interest,  and  left  a  long  train  of  associ- 
ations for  me  connected  with  this  place,  are  the  Dry 
Dock,  the  Monument  at  Bunker's  Hill,  the  Lunatic 
Hospital,  the  ruins  of  Mount  Benedict,  and  an  eve- 
ning party. 

The  Dry  Dock  was  constructed  by  Loanami  Bald- 
win, Esq.  who  resides  in  this  place,  and  was  the  ar- 
chitect for  the  basin  at  Gosport.  I  felt  anew  the  ad- 
miration which  was  excited  by  that  great  work.  By 
the  politness  of  friends  we  were  carried  over  the 
United  States'  vessels,  now  repairing ;  nothing,  how- 
ever, excites  me  more,  than  to  look  up  to  a  vessel  on 
the  stocks  in  a  ship- house,  and  see  the  huge  thing  mo- 
delled by  such  a  comparatively  diminutive  object  as 
man  ;  and  yet  there  is  one  object  greater  in  mecha- 
nical power, — this  mass  tossing  and  dashing  on  the 
ocean,  yet  capable  of  being  governed  by  the  touch 
of  a  child.  Mechanical  power  gives  me  a  clearer 
idea  of  the  Creator  than  moral  power ;  and  the  rea- 
son probably  is,  that  mechanism,  as  far  as  it  goes,  is 
perfect,  while  moral  effort  is  almost  always  mixed 
with  selfish  alloy. 

The  unfinished  Monument  is  as  sublime  and  inter- 
esting an  object  to  me  as  if  it  were  reared  in  the 
hurrying  spirit  of  the  age.  Why  hasten  it  ?  Why 
not  let  years  roll  on,  and  the  men,  women,  and  child- 
ren of  successive  periods  carry  it  to  its  projected 
height  ?  Is  there  any  danger  that  New  England  will 
forget  this  noble  task  ?  There  will  always  be  the 
same  interest,  the  same  pride.  If  the  pillar  of  Absa- 
lom was  raised  stone  by  stone,  by  an  offended  na- 


NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN   EXCURSION.  187 

tion,  who  threw  on  the  pile  as  they  passed,  their 
touching  reproof  of  final  ingratitude,  cannot  a  monu- 
ment be  erected  through  successive  years,  even  if 
it  were  stone  by  stone,  for  those  who  have  become 
immortal  as  true  sons  to  their  country  ?  There  is 
nothing  alarming  or  ridiculous  to  me  in  the  present 
delay  of  this  noble  pile.  The  citizen  of  Rome  does 
not  value  St.  Peter's  the  less  for  having  been  a  long 
series  of  years  in  building. 

The  general  Lunatic  Hospital  of  Massachusetts, 
in  this  place,  vies  with  its  sister  establishment  at 
Worcester  in  beauty  of  location  and  completeness 
of  arrangement.  It  has  one  advantage,  however,  over 
any  I  have  seen  ;  an  intelligent  and  graceful  lady 
has  devoted  herself,  personally,  to  the  amelioration 
of  the  wants  and  sufferings  of  the  female  inmates. 
What  more  delightful  thought  can  Christianity  offer, 
than  that  these  wandering  minds,  when  called  to  their 
eternal,  spiritual  home,  shall  recognize  such  a  bene- 
factress ? 

But  a  more  appalling  picture  than  the  wreck  of 
mind  awaited  me  at  the  ruins  of  Mount  Benedict,  the 
former  residence  of  the  Ursuline  community.  Phy- 
sical infirmity  produces  sadness,  but  moral  obliquity, 
horror.  I  have  seen  instances  where  the  love  of  the 
picturesque  has  induced  persons  to  erect  seeming 
ruins  in  our  young  country,  but  there  is  no  need  of 
this  artificial  effort  here.  These  blackened  walls  tell 
a  story  of  deep  and  awful  pathos.  I  walked  on  the 
broken  terrace,  where  the  sisters  and  their  young  pu- 
pils used  to  sit  of  a  summer's  afternoon,  while  the 


188     NOTES  OP  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

traveller  on  the  road  below  paused  a  moment  at  the 
sight  of  their  graceful  forms  as  their  dresses  flutter, 
ed  in  the  wind  ;  I  passed  the  wall  over  which  the 
frightened  creatures  leaped  at  midnight  by  the  light 
of  their  burning  home  ;  and  I  saw  the  rifled  tomb, 
which  the  mob  left  empty,  as  it  is  now  !  On  the 
few  walls  that  are  still  standing,  one  may  see  mot- 
toes  and  words  indicative  of  the  feelings  of  the  por- 
tion of  the  community  who  destroyed  them.  It 
will  hardly  be  believed  that  a  couplet  like  the  fol- 
lowing is  one  of  the  least  vulgar  and  blasphemous 
there : 

"  The  Priests  go  to  hell 
While  the  Yankees  ring  the  bell." 

• 

There  are  epithets  connected  with  the  names  of 
some  of  the  former  inmates,  whose  grossness  is 
enough  to  madden  a  sensitive  mind.  I  scarcely 
know  whether  to  wish  the  whole  ruin  levelled  and  ob- 
literated, to  avoid  the  accusation  it  seems  to  speak  to 
the  mind  of  a  stranger,  or  to  let  it  stand  as  a  solemn 
warning  to  the  descendants  of  those  Pilgrims  who 
sought  on  this  very  soil — 

"  Freedom  to  worship  God." 

I  should  not  have  enjoyed  the  brilliant  evening 
circle,  which  was  assembled  in  a  Charlestown  draw- 
ing-room, had  I  not  heard,  almost  every  where,  a 
protest  against  this  outrage.  Even  amid  the  glow 
of  beauty  and  fashion  many  voices  still  deprecated 
the  mob-spirit  which  has  brought  upon  this  region  a 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      189 

stain  that  time  will  hardly  wipe  away  ;  and  among 
the  few  with  whom  it  was  my  happy  lot  to  meet 
intimately,  I  know  that  if  generous  and  devoted 
friendship  could  have  saved  the  community,  they 
would  have  been  saved. 

. 

QUINCY. 

I  was  glad  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  this  shrine,  the 
associations  of  which  are  dear,  not  only  to  New-Eng- 
land but  to  all  Americans,  from  its  having  been  the 
residence  of  John  Adams  and  Josiah  Quincy.  It 
throws  a  peculiar  charm  over  the  spot  to  find  the  de- 
scendants of  these  distinguished  men  still  enjoying 
the  elegant  retirement  of  their  ancestors,  and  dis- 
pensing their  graceful  hospitalities.  I  believe  the 
sturdiest  republican  cherishes  this  feeling  at  heart. 
A  likeness  of  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  fami- 
ly of  the  great  patriot  and  orator  Quincy  still  hangs 
in  the  sitting-room,  and  one  can  trace  his  mild  and 
benignant  expression  through  his  descendants. 

A  friend  informed  me,  that  when  a  boy  of  eleven 
years  of  age,  he  visited  John  Adams  with  a  gentle- 
man of  his  acquaintance.  Having  read  and  heard 
discussed  the  violent  politics  of  the  times,  and  know- 
ing that  Adams  and  Jefferson  were  on  the  very  op- 
posite sides  of  the  political  wheel,  he  was  astonished, 
as  Adams  stood  on  a  little  knoll  beside  him,  to  hear 
him  break  out  into  a  beautiful  eulogium  of  his  rival. 
"  It  taught  my  youthful  mind  a  lesson,"  said  the 
narrator,  "  which  I  have  never  forgotten." 
' 


190     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Mr.  Dowe's  Library  at  Cambridgeport. 
The  traveller  is  fortunate  who  obtains  access  to 
this  singularly  beautiful  collection  of  books  and  en- 
gravings.  Gov.  Everett,  in  one  of  his  public  ad- 
dresses, has  noticed  this  library  and  its  owner,  who, 
amid  the  laborious  employment  of  leather -dressing, 
has  been  able  to  collect  volumes,  the  beauty  of  which 
honors  the  white-gloved  hand  of  the  most  delicate 
lady,  while  their  rarity  is  grateful  to  the  inked  fin- 
gers  of  the  student.  Mr.  Dowse's  rooms  have  been 
the  admired  resort  of  his  friends  for  many  years,  and 
his  kindness  in  permitting  them  to  gratify  strangers, 
is  as  beautiful  a  trait  of  the  heart  as  fine  taste  is  of 
his  mind.  His  collection  is  almost  exclusively  com- 
posed  of  the  belles  lettres  department  of  literature. 
If  you  wish  to  go  back  to  the  fount  of  English  poet 
try,  or  renew  an  early  love  of  the  British  classics, 
or  find  the  choicest  translations  of  admired  works, 
or  taste  the  later  effusions  of  modern  novelists  and 
rhymers,  or  search  the  fields  of  history,  biography, 
or  travels,  there  you  may  revel  to  your  heart's  con- 
tent ;  and  no  musty,  worm-eaten  old  book,  or  thumb- 
ed and  dirty  recent  favorite,  will  shock  you,  but  you 
will  find  rich  binding  and  clear  type  wooing  your 
eye ;  and  while  you  visit  larger  establishments,  you 
will  look  back  on  those  precious  rooms  as  a  literary 
gem  polished  to  all  possible  perfection. 

BOSTON,  Mass. 

Every  thing  material,  moral,  and  religious  in  this 
great  city  is  in  motion.     Houses  that  many  other 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      191 

places  would  be  proud  to  possess,  or  be  years  in 
building,  are  pulled  down,  and  palaces  rise  in  their 
stead  in  as  many  months  ;  theories  and  speculations, 
from  which  other  regions  shrink,  are  here  received 
and  examined,  and  antiquity  guarantees  no  repect 
for  creeds.  Boston  is  a  rival  to  Philadelphia  in 
beauty,  but  varies  as  a  brunette  from  a  blonde. 

At  a  dinner  party  yesterday,  I  heard  the  subjects 
of  Svvedenborgianism  and  Animal  Magnetism  dis- 
cussed by  advocates  of  the  truth  of  both.     There 
are  many  individuals  here  inclining  to  a  belief  of 
the  latter  mystery.     He  to  whom  I  allude  on  the 
present  occasion,  had  not  only  witnessed  the  opera- 
tion,  but  was  himself  a  magnetizer.     The  patient 
he  described  was  a  middle-aged  woman,  who  had  long 
been  an  invalid,  and  who  had  given  her  consent  to  the 
experiment. — The  magnetizer  followed  the  custom- 
ary mode.     He  stood  or  sat  immediately  in  front  of 
her,  looking  in  her  eyes,  with  the  palms  of  his  hands 
open  towards  her,  passing  them  up  and  down  before 
her  person.     I  think  there  was  no  contact,  but  the 
approach  was  as  near  as  possible  without  it.     This 
is  the  act  which  induces  the  magnetic  sleep.     The 
first  day  it  was  several  hours  before  the  patient  slept ; 
the  next  period  was  much  shorter,  and  on  the  day 
when  this  relation  was  given,  the  period  had  not 
been  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour.     When  in 
the  magnetic  sleep,  the  subject  is  conscious  only  of 
the  acts  and  words,  and  sometimes  thoughts,  of  the 
magnetizer.     The   gentleman  stated  that  a  pistol, 
fired  off  directly  by  the  ear  of  the  patient  without 


192     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

any  previous  knowledge  of  the  intention  on  her  part, 
produced  no  start  or  change  of  pulse ;  while  she 
answered  not  only  whispered  questions  of  the  mag- 
netizer,  but  questions  whispered  in  the  entry  with 
the  door  shut. 

This  account  was  given  by  a  grave  scientific 
man,  who  had  no  other  interest  in  the  subject  than 
one  of  medical  inquiry.  He  affirmed  nothing  of 
his  belief,  but  only  stated  what  he  had  seen  and 
done.  I  have  read  the  statements  of  the  abuse  of 
this  power  among  the  French  in  the  English  jour- 
nals, and  my  prejudices  were  all  against  it ;  but  I 
was  induced  to  pause  at  least,  and,  if  not  actually 
to  believe,  to  inquire,  when  a  man  of  thinking  mind 
and  cool  temperament  gave  such  a  testimony.  En- 
tire scepticism  is  weaker  than  credulity. 

If  the  truth  of  this  theory  should  be  established, 
the  great  question  of  its  safety  and  propriety  must 
be  agitated.  The  most  unsafe  period  will  be  this  of 
experiments  ;  once  establish  its  philosophy,  and  bring 
it  to  bear  on  medical  science,  and  checks  will  be  in- 
stituted to  deprive  it  of  evil  results.  There  is  no 
danger  from  truth,  but  from  ignorance.  Animal 
Magnetism  has  been  introduced  into  Boston  by  a  re- 
spectable Frenchman,  and  every  one  should  be  glad 
that  the  physicians  of  that  place  are  testing  it. 

The  French  appear  to  be  carrying  into  operation 
with  the  physical,  somewhat  the  same  course  that 
the  Germans  are  in  the  metaphysical  world  ;  and 
the  great  experiment  of  cures  without  medicine  is 
now  being  acted  on,  upon  their  system,  in  the  Bos- 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     193 

ton  Hospital.  I  was  assured,  by  an  individual  con- 
nected  with  the  institution,  that  the  treatment  was  sa. 
tisfactory.  The  latest  medical  statistics  in  France 
show  the  same  result,  the  amount  of  recoveries  with, 
out  the  use  of  medicine  being  strikingly  larger  than 
those  with. 

Farewell,  then,  to  phials  and  boluses  !  Methinks 
I  see  the  defeated  genius  of  medicine,  with  his  dis- 
comforted face  drawn  down  as  if  by  ipecacuanha  in- 
fluences,  striding  off  through  clouds  of  powders,  and 
dashing  castor-oil,  that  inexpressible  abomination, 
upon  the  earth  !  But  then,  alas  !  what,  among  other 
things,  will  become  of  the  first  and  last  pages  of  Ame- 
rican newspapers,  if  advertisements  and  certificates 
are  exploded,  and  the  mild  sway  of  baths,  and  gum- 
water,  and  herb  teas  is  to  resuscitate  the  land? 

. 
Mr.  Alcotfs  School 

I  pass  by  any  description  of  the  Athenaeum  and 
other  prominent  objects,  which  have  been  so  often 
the  theme  of  notice  from  others,  to  those  less  known, 
but  not  less  interesting.  Mr.  Alcott's  school  comes 
under  this  class,  and  whatever  may  be  the  practical 
effects  of  his  system,  I  am  confident  no  one  can  pass 
a  forenoon  in  observing  his  process  of  mental  culture, 
without  imbibing  new  thoughts,  and  respecting  the 
unbending  perseverance*  with  which  he  adheres  to 
his  principle  of  self-development  in  childhood.  But 
perhaps  the  only  way  of  throwing  any  light  on  his 
system  here,  is  to  describe  its  course  in  the  few  hours 
daring  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  it. 
17 


194      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Mr.  Alcott's  room  is  a  commodious  one  in  the 
Masonic  Temple.  He  sits  in  an  elevated  situation, 
and  his  scholars  are  so  arranged  that  he  can  see 
them  all  at  a  glance.  The  quarter  had  but  just 
commenced,  and  some  of  his  pupils  were  in  the 
country;  many  were  new  scholars,  for  very  few 
people  have  patience  to  follow  out  his  system,  and 
children  unfortunately  are  apt  to  be  withdrawn  be. 
fore  it  is  fairly  tried.  There  were  about  twenty 
scholars  present,  the  eldest  I  should  judge  not  over 
twelve  years  of  age.  The  writing  books  were  ex- 
hibited,  in  the  early  stages  of  which  the  children  fol- 
low their  imitative  faculties  almost  without  rule  ; 
the  improvement,  however,  was  very  distinctly  mark- 
ed. We  were  then  allowed  to  examine  the  journals. 
Each  child  keeps  one  daily,  which  is  left  to  his  own 
taste  in  its  subject  and  arrangement.  At  length 
Mr.  Alcott  commenced  reading.  The  subject  he 
selected  was  allegorical ;  but  he  modified,  explained, 
and  asked  questions  and  opinions,  until  it  was  made 
plain  to  the  comprehension  of  his  pupils. 

When  reading  something  respecting  punishment, 
he  asked— 

"  Do  you  think  people  ought  to  be  punished  ?" 

Several  hands  were  held  up,  to  show  that  answers 
were  ready.  Mr.  Alcott  heard  them  in  turn.  Some 
said,  "I  do."  One  said,  "I  don't/'  with  rather  a 
low  voice  and  roguish  look ;  others  said,  "  When 
people  are  naughty,  they  ought  to  be  punished." 

Mr.  Alcott  then  asked,  "  When  you  are  punished, 
•••'>:•;,;-.  ' 


NOTES    OF   A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION.  195 

•oV ..' 
are  you  sorry  because  it  hurts  you,  or  because  you 

have  done  wrong  ?" 

One  said, "  I  don't  like  to  be  hurt."  Another  said, 
"  I  don't  like  to  have  my  parents  angry  with  me." 
Two  or  three  said,  "I  am  sorry  that  I  did  wrong." 

After  this  subject  was  fully  discussed,  Mr.  Alcott 
introduced  that  of  justice,  and  when  many  opinions 
had  been  given  on  the  abstract  question,  he  said, 
"  If  any  of  you  think  I  have  been  unjust,  you  may 
tell  me  so." 

Several  hands  were  raised,  and  many  voices  said, 
"  You  did  not  give  us  as  many  minutes  at  recess  yes- 
terday  as  usual." 

Mr.  Alcott  confessed  that  he  had  not,  said  that  he 
had  good  reasons  for  it ;  and  to  show  that  he  wished 
to  make  restitution,  told  all  the  scholars  they  might 
remain  out  as  long  as  they  chose,  and  go  home  if 
they  preferred.  In  ten  minutes  they  were  all  back, 
some  in  less.  When  seated,  they  commenced  ana- 
lyzing,  which  is  conducted  on  the  plan  of  parsing, 
except  that  it  goes  into  the  meaning  of  words  and 
into  abstract  principles. 

"  What  is  mother?"  he  asked,  after  several  other 
words  had  been  examined. 

"  A  noun,"  was  the  answer.     ' 

"  Is  mother  a  material  or  spiritual  object  ?"  he 
asked. 

Several  hands  were  held  up — some  said  mother 
was  "spiritual,"  some  "material;"  one  said,  in  a 
low  tone,  "  both,"  but  Mr.  Alcott  did  not  hear  hira» 


196     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

"  How  can  mother  be  spiritual  ?"  said  Mr.  Alcott ; 
"  hands  and  feet  are  not  spiritual." 

"  No,"  said  one,  "  but  hands,  and  feet,  and  face 
are  not  my  mother.  Soul  is  my  mother." 

"If  your*  mother  were  dead,  should  you  have  a 
mother?"  said  Mr.  Alcott  to  all.  They  answered 
variously  ;  but  she  who  said  soul  was  her  mother,  re- 
plied— 

"  Yes,  I  should  have  a  mother  even  if  my  mother 
were  dead." 

I  observed  the  countenance  of  one  boy  greatly 
agitated  during  this  conversation  ;  at  length  he  burst 
into  tears,  and  sobbed  out,  "  If  my  mother  were  dead, 
I  should  not  have  a  mother." 

Mr.  Alcott  changed  the  subject,  and  mentioned  to 
me  afterwards  that  this  boy's  parents  were  distant 
from  him. 

The  teacher  and  the  pupils,  (he  informed  me,)  have 
sometimes  been  so  much  interested  in  following  out 
a  subject  in  this  way,  as  to  spend  a  whole  forenoon 
upon  one  word.  Some  portion  of  every  week  is  pass- 
ed  in  conversations  on  the  New  Testament,  and  Mr. 
Alcott  has  compiled  them  as  "  evidences  of  the  truth 
of  Christianity  from  the  testimony  of  childhood." 
There  probably  has  never  been  a  book  written 
which  will  convey  so  curious  a  mental  picture. 

I  have  given  this  little  sketch  as  well  as  my  me- 
mory  will  allow,  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  some  at- 
tention  to  the  subject  at  the  South.  Mr.  Alcott  is 
probably  the  ultraist  of  his  class  of  teachers,  yet  every 
one  must  confess  that  there  is  so  much  of  mere 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     197 

memory  culture  in  common  schools,  that  the  heart, 
affections,  and  even  understanding,  are  neglected. 
Still,  though  I  was  witness  to  the  graceful  confidence 
of  the  pupils,  and  the  untiring  patience  of  the  mas- 
ter, I  can  imagine  that  from  day  to  day  there  should 
be  almost  as  much  parrot-ism  in  the  answers  of  child- 
ren  on  this  system  as  in  any  other.  The  few,  as  in 
other  schools,  will  take  the  lead,  and  work  out  bright 
answers ;  while  the  rest  will  either  copy  doggedly,  or 
wait  for  the  natural  developments  of  time  and  obser- 
vation. 

Swedenborgian  Chapel. 

I  was  flesirous  to  witness  the  service  of  this  pecu- 
liar people,  from  many  interesting  associations.  I 
knew  a  Swedenborg  lady  in  early  life,  and  her  cha- 
racter left  the  stamp  which  goodness  always  will 
leave  on  the  memory.  Her  mind  was  one  of  great 
symmetry,  though  but  little  power  ;  and  it  was  there- 
fore more  remarkable,  that  amid  ridicule,  and  some- 
times harsher  language,  she  collected  around  her  the 
ponderous  tomes  of  her  spiritual  master.  She  attend- 
ed the  Episcopal  church  with  her  husband  and  child- 
ren,  but  her  heart  was  in  Swedenborg's  heaven.  I 
saw  her  stemming  trials  with  firmness,  bearing  re- 
bukes with  meekness,  and  holding  a  conversation 
above  the  world ;  and  from  that  time,  such  is  the  pow- 
er of  virtue,  I  have  continued  to  respect  what  I  could 
not  believe.  She  has  since  gone  where  truth  is  no 
longer  dimmed  by  clouds. 

The  Swedenborg  chapel  is  a  neat  edifice,  respect- 
17* 


198     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ably  filled.  The  music  consists  entirely  of  chaunts 
of  the  Psalms;  it  is  very  tender  and  sweet.  A 
quiet,  attentive  air  pervades  the  assembly.  I  was 
desirous  of  hearing  a  discourse  characteristic  of  the 
views  of  this  religious  community,  and  was  amply 
gratified.  The  preacher  selected  one  of  the  wild- 
est  portions  of  the  prophetic  writings  of  the  Old 
Testament,  in  which  is  embodied  a  description  of  a 
battle  field  after  defeat.  Nothing  could  be  more  ma. 
terial  than  this  picture  to  an  unenlightened  eye,  until 
he  spiritualized  it.  The  Hebrew,  I  confess,  would 
have  been  quite  as  intelligible  to  me  as  his  para- 
phrase. 

, 
Sacred  Music. 

I  have  not  been  more  delighted  with  any  thing  on 
my  journey,  than  in  the  improvement  in  psalmody  in 
this  region.  The  influence  of  the  Handel  and  Hadyn 
Society  has  produced  a  change  that  I  feel  most 
strongly.  I  have  remarked  that  punctuation  is  ob- 
served in  common  psalmody,  and  that  it  gives  great 
beauty  and  force  to  the  sentiment. 

The  want  of  uniformity  in  the  posture  of  many  of 
the  congregations  is  displeasing.  Were  this  princi- 
ple of  choice  of  position  carried  out,  each  person 
would  be  at  liberty  ito  make  the  sermons  and  prayers 
subject  to  the  same  irregularity. 

Children's  Church. 

Boston  stands  pre-eminent  in  its  religious  facili- 
ties for  the  poor,  and  is  also  distinguished  by  hav- 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.      199 

ing  a  church  for  children.  A  great  number  attend- 
ed on  the  Sabbath,  and  were  addressed  in  language 
suited  to  their  capacity.  The  pulpit  was  decorated 
with  brilliant  flowers,  and  the  preacher  seemed  as  if 
about  to  expatiate  on  them,  but  his  discourse  was  on 
the  death  of  Jesus.  He  endeavoured  to  associate 
death  with  every  thing  tender  and  pleasing,  and  to 
avoid  the  gloom  with  which  it  is  usually  shrouded. 
He  exhibited  some  butterflies  beautifully  pressed, 
and  the  chrysalis  from  whence  each  sprang  ;  and 
at  the  close  of  his  remarks,  recited  the  following 
ballad : 

MOTHER,  WHAT  IS  DEATH1? 

"  Mother,  how  still  the  baby  lies,— 

I  cannot  hear  his  breath ; 
I  cannot  see  his  laughing  eyes — 

They  tell  me  this  is  death. 

My  little  work  I  thought  to  bring, 

And  sat  down  by  his  bed, 
And  pleasantly  I  tried  to  sing, — 

They  hushed  me — he  is  dead. 

. 
They  say  that  he  again  will  rise, 

More  beautiful  than  now, — 
That  God  will  bless  him  in  the  skies— 

Oh,  mother,  tell  me  how  !" 

"  Daughter,  do  you  remember,  dear, 
The  cold,  dark  thing  you  brought, 

And  layed  upon  the  casemerit  here, — 
A  wither'd  worm  you  thought  f 


200     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

I  told  you  that  Almighty  power 

Could  break  that  withered  shell, 
And  show  you,  in  a  future  hour, 

Something  would  please  you  well. 

Look  at  the  Chrysalis,  my  love, — 

An  empty  shell  it  lies ; — 
Now  raise  your  wandering  thoughts  above 

To  where  yon  insect  flies  !'' 

"  Oh  yes,  mamma  !  how  very  gay 

Its  wings  of  starry  gold — 
And  see !  it  lightly  flies  away 

Beyond  my  gentle  hold  ! 

Oh,  mother,  now  I  know  full  well — 
If  God  that  worm  can  change, 
And  draw  it  from  this  broken  cell, 
On  golden  wings  to  range ; 

How  beautiful  will  brother  be, 
When  God  shall  givje  him  wings, 

Above  this  dying  world  to  flee, 
Add  live  with,heavenly  things. 

If  it  were  ever  justifiable  for  a  thrill  of  grateful 
pride  to  go  through  an  author's  heart,  it  would  be  at 
the  selection  of  her  humble  effort  at  such  a  moment, 
herself  unknown. 

The  children  sang  together  very  sweetly,  and  the 
services  closed  by  their  repeating  the  Lord's  prayer 
after  their  pastor. 

I,-,,  • 

The  Bethel  Church. 

I  found  myself  at  the  very  antipodes  of  the  calm 
and  spiritual  repose  of  the  Swedenborg  chapel,  as  I 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     201 

followed  the  crowd  to  the  Bethel  Church.  It  was 
not  without  its  interest  to  me  that  this  edifice  stands 
on  the  spot  where  I  was  born. 

When  I  entered  the  building,  Mr.  Taylor,  the  pas- 
tor,  whose  reputation  for  eloquence  is  so  widely- 
extended,  was  walking  about  the  pulpit  in  great 
anxiety  and  concern,  arising  from  the  fear  that  the 
seamen  would  be  crowded  from  their  seats.  Lean, 
ing  over,  he  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  called  out, 
with  a  loud  and  earnest  voice, — 

"  Don't  stir,  my  brethren  !  not  a  seaman  must  go 
out." 

The  occasion  was  one  of  peculiar  solemnity.  A 
service  of  communion  plate  had  been  presented,  and 
this  was  the  first  opportunity  for  appropriating  it. 
Having  heard  Methodist  preaching  frequently  at  the 
South  in  its  most  fervid  tone,  I  was  probably  not  so 
much  impressed  by  the  sermon  as  a  Bostonian  would 
have  been.  Mr.  Taylor's  changes,  like  thoss  of  his 
denomination  generally,  were  rapid,  varying  from 
the  boldest  rhetorical  flights,  to  the  most  common, 
place  expressions.  The  sermon  being  over,  he  de- 
scended to  the  altar,  and  called  two  individuals  to 
the  rite  of  baptism.  One  was  a  middle-aged  seaman , 
the  other  a  little  girl  of  five,years  of  age,  led  by  her 
mother.  He  had  not  proceeded  far,  before  I  saw 
and  felt  the  power  of  his  natural  eloquence ;  his 
audience  were  soon  in  tears.  He  grasped  the  hand 
of  the  seaman,  and  welcomed  him  as  one  who,  from 
sailing  On  stormy  seas,  had  reached  a  safe  harbor. 
After  the  usual  invocation  and  form  of  baptism,  he 


202  NOTES    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 

again  took  his  hand,  and  smiling  on  him  kindly 
said,  "  God's  baptism  bo  on  thee,  my  brother ;  go 
in  peace."  Then  turning  to  the  woman,  he  exclaim- 
ed, 

"  And  the  widow  did  not  come  alone  ;  no,  she 
did  not  come  alone,  she  brought  her  baby  with  her." 

He  took  the  wondering  but  passive  little  girl  in 
his  arms,  and  raised  her  so  that  we  could  all  see  her. 
After  the  silence  of  a  moment,  he  said, 

"  Look  at  the  sweet  lamb !  Her  mother  has  brought 
her  to  Christ's  fold  !" 

There  was  another  pause;  he  touched  her  fore- 
head with  the  baptismal  element,  pronounced  the 
invocation  to  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit, 
and  saying  solemnly,  "  A  baptism  from  heaven 
be  on  thee,  my  pretty  dove,"  kissed  her  flushed 
cheek  tenderly,  and  placed  her  by  her  mother's 
side. 

The  congregation  were  then  invited  to  kneel  at 
the  altar,  and  partake  the  communion.  The  seamen 
went  first,  file  after  file,  pressing  respectfully  on, 
while  their  pastor  addressed  to  each  words  of  cau- 
tion and  encouragement. 

"  Brother,  beware,  take  heed,"  he  said  to  one 
whose  face  bore  marks  of  worldly  cheer,  "  the  tempt- 
er is  ever  ready."  And  to  one  who  looked  deject- 
ed, he  said  soothingly,  "  Come  to  the  Lord,  my  bro- 
ther ;  the  yoke  of  Jesus  is  easy,  lay  your  cares  on 
him." 

When  the  seamen  communicants  had  all  visited 
the  altar,  others  followed,  and  as  circle  after  circle 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     203 

knelt  around,  the  good  man  was  often  obliged  to 
pause  in  his  addresses.  Weeping  and  agitated,  he 
walked  the  chancel,  exclaiming,  with  broken  sobs, — 

This  is  the  happiest  day  of  my  life.  Oh  my  God, 
the  happiest  day  that  ,1  have  seen  since  I  was 
born  !"• 

I  went  with  the  rest,  and  there,  on  the  spot  where 
God  gave  me  being,  dedicated  him  anew  my  faculties 
and  hopes,  and  asked  his  blessing  on  the  homeward 
path  upon  which  I  shall  enter  on  the  morrow. 

Beautiful  New  England,  farewell !  How  often,  in 
my  happy  sojourn  here,  has  the  following  descrip- 
tion, dear  to  me  from  many  associations,  risen  to  my 
memory  : 

ODE 

For  the  Anniversary  of  the  New  England  Society  in 
Charleston,  S.  C. 

BY    S.   OILMAN. 

New  England !  receive  the  heart's  tribute  that  comes 

From  thine  own  pilgrim-sons  far  away  ; 
More  fondly  than  ever  our  hearts  turn  to  thee 

Upon  this  thine  old  festival  day. 
We  would  rescue,  with  social  observance  and  song, 

Awhile  from  oblivion's  grave, 
The  lov'd  scenes  of  our  youth,  and  those  blessings  recall 

Which  our  country  and  forefathers  gave. 

We  have  gazed  on  thy  mountains  that  whiten  the  sky, 
Or  have  rov'd  on  thy  tempest-worn  shore, ' 

We  have  breathed  thy  keen  air,  or  have  felt  thy  bright  fires, 
While  we  listened  to  legends  of  yore. 


204     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

We  have  gathered  thy  nuts  in  the  mild  Autumn  sun, 
And  the  gay  squirrel  chas'd  through  thy  woods ; 

From  thy  red  and  gold  orchards  have  plucked  the  ripe  store, 
And  have  bath'd  in  thy  clear-rolling  floods. 

When  thy  snow  has  descended  in  soft  feather'd  showers, 

Or  hurtled  along  in  the  storm, 
We  have  welcom'd  alike  with  our  faces  and  hearts 

Its  beauteous  or  terrible  form. 
We  have  skimm'd  o'er  thine  ice  with  the  fleetness  of  wind, 

We  have  reared  the  thick  snow-castle's  wall, 
And  have  acted  our  part  in  the  combat  that  rag'd 

With  the  hard-press'd  and  neatly-form'd  ball. 

We  remember  the  way  to  those  school-houses  well, 

That  bedeck  every  mile  of  thy  land ; 
We  have  lov'd  thy  sweet  Sabbaths  that  bade  in  repose 

The  plough  in  its  mid-furrow  stand. 

We  have  joined  in  thy  hymns  and   thy  anthems,   that 
swell'd 

Through  Religion's  oft-visited  dome, 
We  have  blest  thy  Thanksgivings,  that  summon'd  from  far 

The  long-parted  family  home. 

Can  distance  efface,  or  can  time  ever  dim 

Remembrances  crowding  like  these, 

They  have  grown  with  our  growth,  and  have  minister'd 
strength . 

As  the  roots  send  up  life  to  the  trees ; 
Then  be  honour'd  the  day  when  May  flowers  came,  • 

And  honour'd  the  change  that  she  bore, 
The  stern,  the  religious,  the  glorious  men, 

Whom  she  set  on  our  rough  native  shore. 

And  oh,  Carolina !  full  gladly  thy  name 

In  our  green  wreath  to-day  we  entwine  ; 
If  New  England  awakens  the  thought  of  the  past, 

Our  present  and  future  are  thine. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     205 

Thy  interests,  thy  rights,  we  acknowledge  our  own, 

On  thy  soil  we  are  destin'd  to  fall ; 
Thy  just  confidence  lend,  and  accept  in  return 

Our  love,  our  devotion,  our  all, — 

We  have  been  favored  with  a  rapid,  and  favorable 
passage  from  Norfolk  ;  Charleston  light-house  bore 
in  sight,  and  the  pure  and  beautiful  thoughts  con- 
ceived  on  the  same  spot  by  a  popular  author,  came 
to  my  memory,  aiding  and  mellowing  the  happiness 
of  return  : 

THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  SOUL. 
Written  off  Charleston  Light  at  evening. 

BY   B.   B.    THATCHER. 

Over  winds  and  waves,  far  out 
From  the  shadows  of  the  shore, 

I  see  the  mariner's  beacon 
Its  silvery  splendor  pour. 

And  sweeter  is  the  sight 

Than  all  the  wealth,  untold, 
That  o'er  the  Orman  grottoes, 

Breaks  forth  in  blazing  gold. 

•  .- 
"Y  et,  built  on  earth's  low  strand, 

That  light  may  only  show, 
W^here  the  fields  of  time  are  greenest, 

And  its  blooms  the  fairest  blow. 

O  dearer  and  diviner  flame ! 

O  changeless,  changeless  star  I 
Thou  mind'st  me  of  the  one  that  shone 

O'er  the  magi's  wandering  far. 
18 


206     NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Oh !  shine  for  me,  ye  starry  hopes, — 

Immortal  hopes  in  Him  ! 
Ye  are  holier,  and  ye  give  more  light, 

As  the  mortal  grow  more  (Jim. 

And  now  the  level  shores  of  Carolina  appeared, 
and  soon,  at  a  distance,  St.  Michael's  spire,  the 
seamen's  beacon,  awoke  tender  thoughts  of  home. 
The  vast  and  the  lovely  in  distant  scenery  was  for- 
gotten,  and  the  affections  invested  the  ohjects  of  my 
love  with  a  beauty  and  proportion  that  eclipsed  fairer 
scenes.  It  was  under  such  influences  of  local  affec- 
tion that  I  penned  these  lines  to 

ST.  MICHAEL'S  SPIRE. 
St.  Michael's  spire !  St.  Michael's  spire ! 

How  fair  thou  risest  to  the  sight — 
Now,  glittering  in  the  noon-sun's  fire, 

Now  softened  by  the  "  pale  moonlight !" 

Dread  storms  have  thunder'd  o'er  the  sea, 
And  crush'd  the  low  and  rent  the  high; 

But  there  thou  standest,  firm  and  free, 
With  thy  bright  forehead  to  the  sky. 

Fierce  fires  in  rolling  volumes  came, 
But  gleam'd  innocuous  on  thy  tower, 

War's  cannon  roared  with  breath  of  flame, 
Unscathing  thee/career'd  its  power. 

Symmetric  spire!  Our  city's  boast, 

In  scientific  grandeur  piled  ! 
The  guardian  beacon  of  our  coast, 

The  seaman's  hope  when  waves  are  wild  ! 
Palladium !  on  thy  lonely  height 

The  faithful  watchman  walks  his  round, 
While  rest  and  safety  rule  the  night, 

And  stillness,  as  of  holy  ground. 


NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION.     207 

All  sleep  but  thee— Thy  tuneful  bells 

Hymn  to  the  night-wind  in  its  roar, 
Or  float  upon  the  Atlantic  swells, 

That  soften  summer  on  our  shore. 

Soother  of  sickness !  Oft  thy  chime 

A  gentle  voice  to  darkness  lends ; 
And  speaks  a  language  deep,  sublime, 

When  love  o'er  dying  virtue  bends. 

Thou  guid'st  the  youth  to  classic  hours, 

The  labourer,  to  his  task  confin'd  ; 
The  maid,  to  joy's  resplendent  bowers, 

Th'  ambitious,  to  the  strife  of  mind. 

Thy  Sabbath' summons,  not  in  vain, 

Calls  the  mixed  city  to  their  God ; 
Each  gravely  seeks  his  chosen  fane, 

And  treads  the  aisle  his  sires  have  trod. 

And  nobly  do  thy  paeans  flow, 
When  patriots  shout  the  annual  strain, 

That  echoes  from  far  Mexico, 
To  where  St.  Lawrence  holds  his  reign. 

Gliding  along  bold  Ashley's  stream, 

Or  Cooper's,  hung  with  mossy  grace, 
We  turn  to  gaze  upon  thy  beam, 

And  hospitable  joys  retrace. 

And  tender  are  the  thoughts  that  rise, 
When,  sea-bound  from  thy  level  shore, 

The  tear  of  parting  dims  our  eyes 
Till  we  can  view  thy  point  no  more. 

And  when,  returning  to  our  land, 

The  summer  exile  nears  his  home, 
How  beats  his  heart,  and  waves  his  hand, 

As  first  he  greets  thy  welcome  dome. 


208      NOTES  OF  A  NORTHERN  EXCURSION. 

St.  Michael's  spire !  I  close  my  lay, 
Touch'd  by  the  moral  thou  hast  giren, 

Though  duties  throng  my  earthly  way, 
My  look,  like  thine,  shall  be  to  Heaven. 


END    OF    A    NORTHERN    EXCURSION. 


SOUTHERN 
LOCAL  SKETCHES, 

BY 

CAROLINE  OILMAN. 


18* 


< 


; 

, 

i  . 

. 
. 


•     . 

''-,•-.:  v-  9      :>• 
. 
, 
EXCURSION  UP  COOPER  RIVER. 

MY  rocking  chair,  thou  velvet  luxury!  I  come  to 
thee  from  the  odorous  Mocha  beverage  with  the 
morning  paper  in  my  hand.  Delicious  summary ! 
On  these  four  pages  are  pleasures  that  require  no 
preparatory  trouble,  pains  that  ask  nd  sympathy. 
I  see  nations  moving  on  thy  broad  leaves,  coning 
and  going  in  silent  panorama.  Why,  here  are  kings 
and  warriors,  poets  and  statesmen,  for  my  compa- 
nions ;  I  sail  over  oceans,  I  travel  continents,  I  make 
my  bed  in  the  air — the  world  is  mine !  And  what 
possessions  does  thy  typed  tongue  give,  possessions 
fit  for  the  luxurious  occupant  of  a  rocking  chair  1  I 
scarcely  glance  at  the  word  "  cheap,"  but  leave  to 
the  sitters  on  wooden  seats  the  balanced  advertise- 
ment of  prices.  I  leap  over  "  cut-nails  and  brads," 
and  scorn  the  "  14000  Ibs.  small  hams,"  for  "  pre- 
serves" from  the  West  Indies,  "sparkling  champagne 
and  sauterne."  "Muscatel  raisins"  cluster  around 
me,  and  "  figs"  drop  at  my  feet.  Lace,  fine  as  a 
Peri's  robe,  is  thrown  over  my  shoulders,  my  feet  rest 
in  satin  slippers,  pearls  are  on  my  neck,  the  bird  of 
the  air  is  stripped  to  fan  me,  the  beast  of  the  wilder- 


212  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ness  to  clothe  me.  "  Chickering  &  Nun's  best"  are 
vibrating  on  my  ear ;  gilt  mirrors  reflect  my  polish- 
ed furniture.  I  almost  feel  the  softness  of  "  French 
handkerchiefs,"  and  the  purest  blonde  lies  in  folds 
over  my  brow.  How  much  can  a  little  imagination 
make  of  a  newspaper  in  a  rocking  chair  !  I  some- 
times  fancy  what  will  be  the  compensation  for  these 
vehicles  of  thought  in  a  more  spiritual  state  of  exist. 
ence.  There,  perhaps,  mind  will  rush  to  sympa- 
thetic mind  from  unknown  distances — doubt,  if  it 
can  exist,  be  answered  by  whispering  spirits  almost 
in  anticipation — and  the  speculations,  which  here 
are  surrounded  by  the  mists  of  earth,  be  solved  in 
words  of  light  and  glory,  beaming  from  the  fount  of 
thought. 

It  is  a  summer's  noon  ;  the  light  is  shut  out,  except 
where  the  sweet  South  steals  through  that  half-open 
window.  What  a  soft  drowsiness  comes  over  me, 
as  with  head  thrown  back  on  thy  protecting  form, 
my  rocking  chair,  objects  mingle  before  me.  They 
fade — the  vase  of  flowers,  the  books,  the  ornaments 
of  my  table,  the  waving  curtains,  all  fade  away  ;  only 
one  object  remains — a  picture  by  Osgood.  Her 
blue  eye  seems  closing,  her  rich  lips  soften  in  their 
serious  smile,  her  white  brow  darkens,  her  fair  hand 
relaxes  from  her  fairer  temples — I  see  her  no  more. 
Gone,  gone  to  the  land  of  dreams ! 

Sickness  has  thrown  me  into  thy  kind  arms,  my 
rocking  chair.  Tender  friends  are  around  me — my 
eye  rests  on  proofs  of  absent  kindness.  I  know  the 
hand  that  sent  that  beautiful  bouquet.  It  is  the  hand 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  213 

that  loves  to  throw  flowers  on  the  path  of  the  weak 
or  sorrowful,  the  hand  that  takes  strangers  to  its  bo- 
som,  that  makes  acquaintance  feel  like  friends,  and 
friends  like  brethren^  Amid  a  thousand  I  would 
say  that  hand  sent  those  flowers !  God  will  bless 
that  hand !  I  love  to  lean  my  languid  head  on  thy 
breast,  my  rocking  chair,  and  inhale  the  perfume  of 
these  blossoms,  and  trace  their  hues,  God's  gifts  of 
tenderness  to  man. 

It  is  twilight ;  the  cares  of  the  day  are  over,  and 
I  return  to  thee,  the  rest  of  my  sweet  home.  Let 
me  draw  thee  nearer  to  the  window,  where  the  dying 
day  can  give  me  its  last  look.  The  gay  laughter 
of  those  grouped  girls  will  not  disturb  the  repose  of 
the  hour.  Sport  on,  young  ones !  There  is  time 
enough  for  you  to  watch  the  dying  day  in  sadder 
times.  A  star  advances  through  the  growing  gloom, 
and  a  voice  at  my  side  tells  its  opening  thoughts, 
and  asks  questions  of  the  far-off  sky  ;  a  young  form 
rests  on  my  lap,  and  I  feel  a  hand,  affection's  own, 
tried,  faithful  hand,  pressing  mine. 

It  is  night,  and 

"  Friends  drop  off  as  leaves  forsake  the  flower," 

the  kind  good-night  is  given,  the  watchman's  voice 
announces  the  hours,  an  occasional  step  sounds  ring, 
ingly  on  the  pavement.  Again  I  throw  myself  into 
thy  arms,  my  rocking-chair ;  and  thou  biddest  me 
welcome  with  thy  gentle  motion.  The  memory  of 
the  past  day  unfolds  its  wings,  and  lingers  around 
me.  Has  active  goodness  been  borne  on  its  pinions  ? 


214      NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHEKN  EXCURSION. 

I  thank  God ;  and  a  pure  repose  rests  on  my  spirit. 
Are  its  brooding  edges  made  heavy  with  sin  1  1  pray 
and  weep,  and  then  God  soothes  me  with  an  answer- 
ed  prayer;  and  musings  come,  and  as  my  head 
falls  on  thee,  my  rocking-chair,  soft  visions  arise, 
dreams  of  re-united  spirits,  and  bright  hopes  that 
daylight  scarcely  knows.  But  I  must  rouse  myself 
from  these  musings,  and  recall  the  scenes  of  yester- 
day. 

I  am  surprised  that  more  persons  do  not  visit  Coop- 
er River  now  that  the  facilities  for  going  are  so  great. 
Until  the  establishment  of  a  steam-boat,  our  citizens 
had  no  opportunity  to  see  a  southern  harvest,  and  it 
is  truly  a  surprise  to  witness  those  immense  tracts  of 
land,  more  extended  than  the  domain  of  many  a  feu- 
dal baron,  arranged  with  almost  military  order  and 
neatness ;  the  golden  rice  waving  beneath  the  glow- 
ing sun,  the  beautiful  river  asking  to  its  smooth  sur- 
face the  world- worn  citizen,  the  tasteful  residences 
scattered  at  wide  distances  along  its  banks,  and  more 
than  all,  the  stillness  of  nature,  so  desirable  to  those 
whose  summer  location,  like  ours,  is  in  the  confine- 
ment and  bustle  of  a  city. 

I  went  as  far  as  Mulberry  Castle,  which  is  an  old 
building  on  a  picturesque  spot,  erected  by  one  of  our 
Governors  at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  of 
this  country  as  a  defence  against  the  Indians.  I 
have  never  been  so  struck  with  earthly  possessions 
as  with  the  extent  of  some  of  the  plantations  on 
the  river.  As  the  boat  flew  on  and  on,  and  I  still 
saw  them  filling  the  gaze,  I  could  not  but  mentally 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  215 

exclaim  how  much  human  happiness  those  planters 
have  in  their  power  ! 

Mulberry  Castle  is  a  more  substantial  looking 
building  than  one  can  often  see  of  modern  workman- 
ship,  and  its  interest  within  is  heightened  by  quite  a 
gallery  of  old  family  pictures.  As  I  was  examining 
them,  a  gentleman  said  to  me,  here  is  one  which 
bears  evidence  to  the  brutality  of  the  British  soldie- 
ry. You  observe  it  is  a  likeness  of  an  American 
officer — one  of  the  dastards  in  the  late  war  thrust 
his  sword  through  the  eye  to  show  his  contempt  for 
us. 

I  am  sorry  to  spoil  so  good  a  story,  said  another ; 
but  that  feat  was  performed  by  a  roguish  American 
boy,  who  climbed  up  and  dug  out  his  ancestor's 
eye. 

It  was  a  bright  spectacle  to  see  our  town's  people 
recreating  on  this  romantic  spot.  Here  you  might 
view  a  party  with  the  keen  appetite  of  an  irregular 
meal  partaking  refreshment  under  a  tree ;  now  a 
white  dress,  floating  among  the  trees,  told  of  some 
romantic  rambler,  and  again  the  shout  of  laughter 
came  softened  on  the  ear  ;  then  I  heard  the  sound  of 
music,  and  drawing  near,  perceived  a  group  singing 
the  following  Ode,  originally  composed  as  a  nation, 
al  song  for  the  anniversary  of  our  Independence. 

The  history  of  this  Lyric  is  interesting  to  our  com- 
munity.  It  has  been  engraved  on  a  silver  vase,  and 
presented  to  the  author ;  on  one  side  is 

' 


216  KOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

THE  ODE. 

Hail,  our  country's  natal  morn, 
Hail,  our  spreading  kindred-born ! 
Hail,  thou  banner,  not  yet  torn, 

Waving  o'er  the  free ! 
While,  this  day,  in  festal  throng, 
Millions  swell  the  patriot  song, 
Shall  not  we  thy  notes  prolong, 

Hallow'd  Jubilee  7 

- 

Who  would  sever  Freedom's  shrine ; 
Who  would  draw  th'  invidious  line ; 
Though  by  birth  one  spot  be  mine, 

Dear  is  all  the  rest : 
Dear  to  me  the  South's  fair  land, 
Dear  the  central  mountain-band, 
Dear  New  England's  rocky  strand, 

Dear  the  prairied  West. 

, 
By  our  altars,  pure  and  free, 

By  our  Law's  deep-rooted  tree, 
By  the  past's  dread  memory, 

By  our  Washington  ; 
By  our  common  parent  tongue, 
By  our  hopes,  bright,  buoyant,  young, 
By  the  tie  of  country  strong, 

We  will  still  be  ONE. 

.' 

FathersJ  have  ye  bled  in  vain  1 
Ages!  must  ye  droop  again  1 
Maker!  shall  we  rashly  stain 

Blessings  sent  by  Thee1? 
No  !  receive  one  solemn  vow, 
While  before  thy  throne  we  bow, 
Ever  to  maintain,  as  now, 
Union,  Liberty ! 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  217 

On  the  reverse  is  the  following  inscription  : 

To  the  Author 
of  the  National  Ode  written 

for  the  4th  of  July, 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Oilman, 

and  as  a  tribute  of  affectionate  respect 

for  the  Patriot,  the  Scholar, 

and  the  Poet, 

the  friends  of  National  Union 
have  presented 

This  Vase, 
Charleston,  S,  C. 

The  Vase  was  wrought  and  engraved  in  Charleston, 
and  is  chaste  and  elegant ;  while  the  Ode,  adapted  to 
the  tune  "  Scots  who,  hae"  is  sung  annually  at  the 
celebration  of  the  4th  of  July. 

I  was  attracted  by  the  crow-minders  as  we  passed 
the  plantations  ;  they  are  chosen  from  the  young  or 
infirm,  and  have  a  picturesque  air  in  their  extended 
solitude.  They  are  kept  in  the  fields  all  day,  having 
no  actual  labour  to  perform;  others  go  away  when 
their  tasks  are  ended.  The  crows  know  their  voices, 
and  wheel  off  at  the  sound  without  alighting. 

It  may  excite  a  smile  that  I  should  find,  poetry  in 
,1  crow-minder,  but  I  make  a  faithful  record : 

THE  CROW-MINDER  OP  THE  SOUTH, 
"     Alone,  amid  the  far-spread  field  he  stands, 
Heaven's  arch  above,  an  amphitheatre 
Of  woods  around.    Wide  his  domain,  and  fair ; 
But  no  companionship  hath  he,  for  he 
Must  scare  the  very  birds  away,  whose  notes 
Are  meet  for  company. 
19 


218  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

The  Mocking  bird, 

Herald  or  partner  of  his  walk,  must  leave 
Him  here  ;  nor  shall  he  list  again  its  note, 
'Till,  warbling  near  his  lowly  hut,  the  bird 
Pours  forth  orchestral  tones  ambitiously, 
At  midnight  hour,  upon  his  drowsy  ear. 

The  Lizard,  creeping  on  the  blighted  tree, 
The  lazy  Worm,  unearthing  its  slow  length, 
.The  Ant,  which  builds  its  sandy  monument, 
The  Butterfly,  a  passing  traveller, 
And  e'en  the  Snake,  that  shines  in  motlied  hues, 
Or  Frog,  retreating  from  the  burning  sand, 
Or  shining  Beetle,  will  he  welcome  now. 

Few  are  his  cares,  nor  irksome,  his  employ. " 
Just  far  enough  remov'd  to  watch  his  prey, 
His  bird-trap  tempting  lies — the  Oriole  there, 
The  Goldfinch,  Wax-bird,  and  like  forms  of  grace, 
He  snares,  to  gain  a  trifle  for  the  prize. 
The  prison  of  the  finny  race  he  weaves  ; 
Or,  on  his  basket's  growing  plaits  he  toils, 
Counts  o'er'his  gains,  and  whistles  out  his  joy. 

The  forest  trees,  that  stand  like  ccntinels, 
Send  out  a  murmur  pleasant  to  the  «ar. 
The  Turtle  Dove,  that  seems  to'mourn,  but  wliose 
Low  tone  is  whisper'd  tenderness,  is  there. 
From  thence  the  venturous  Ground-Pigeon  comes, 
And  with  a  little  band  of  feathered  friends 
Steals  cautious  to  the  rice-fields'  tempting  range. 
When,  faithful  to  his  charge,  the  "  minder"  shouts, 
With  arms  uprais'd,  and  frighted  they  retire. 

There  the  Blue-Jay,,  the  '!feather'd  harlequin," 
Trims  his  rich  crest  and  pipes  his  mimic  song : 
"While,  hidden  mid  damp  brakes,  the  Cuckoo's  note 
With  harsh  monotony  assails  the  ear. 
There  the  Woodpecker,  busy  Epicure, 
Bores  with  his4>eak  the  insect's  barky  home,     - 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHEKN   EXCURSION.  219 

Affrights  them  with  his  feign'd  but  startling  cry, 
Then  coolly  riots  with  his  darting  tongue, 
And  taps  at  intervals  the  hollow  tree. 

But  the  field-minder,  idly  busy,  heeds 
Nor  knows  the  sounds  sweet  to  the  Poet's  ear; 
Tho',  when  the  Crow's  coarse  note  is  nearer  heard, 
And  his  dark  form  wheels  o'er  the  sunny  field, 
Or  varied  pilferers,  glide  with  stealthy  wing, 
In  softer  guise,  to  rob  the  planter's  toil, 
Then  lifts  he  high  again  his  warning  voice, 
And  waves  his  tawny  arms,  and  beats  the  air, 
While  the  foil'd  plunderers  turn  in  circling  flight, 
And  seek  the  forest's  screening  shades  again. 

What  are  his  thoughts,  that  lone  one,  as  the  Sun 
O'er-tops  the  pines,  and  wakes  the  woods  to  joy '{ 
What  are  his  thoughts,  when  thro'  the  long,  long  blaze 
Of  summer's  noon,  he  sits  in  solitude  1 
Right  glad  is  he,  when  the  dark  laborer  comes, 
With  hoe  upon  his  arm — his  task  well  done, 
A»d  gives  a  passing  greeting  to  the  boy. 
Full  glad  to  see  the  mastiff  from  the  chase 
Run  with  his  whining  welcome ;  and  willingly, 
With  passing  negro,  or  with  truant  dog, 
Shares  the  plain  food,  cook'd  near  his  blighted  tree. 

Think  not  the  boy  is  vacant  in  his  mood ; 
He  muses  on  relationship  and  friends ; 
He  plans  the  evening  game,  the  sabbath  prayer, 
He  learns  from  nature's  volumes  lessons  true, 
Foretells  the  storm,  the  harvest  too — and  things 
That  'scape  the  world's  philosophy,  he  knows. 
There,  more  than  in  the  city's  jostling  throng, 
He  feels  a  present  Diety.     The  moon, 
Flooding  his  homeward  track  with  gentle  rays, 
Looks  in  his  bosom  on  a  sky-bound  soul ; 
And  the  far  stars,  those  light-houses  of  heaven, 
Tell  him  of  hopes  beyond  their  glittering  sheen. 


220  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

As  we  returned,  a  passenger  undertook  to  teach 
us  a  German  glee.  The  whole  company  assembled 
on  deck,  and  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion. 
I  must  confess  there  was  more  laughter  than  music. 
Our  entertainer  was  a  foreigner  j  we  Americans, 
coolly  calculating  how  far  we  may  go  without  com- 
promising  our  dignity,  may  well  copy  that  social 
impulse  which  forgets  itself  in  the  thought  of  pleas- 
ing others. 

We  reached  town  just  as  an  early  moon  was  light- 
ing  up  St.  Michael's  spire. 

And  yet  people  rush  off  to  the  North  and  West, 
unconscious  of.  the  attractions  around  us  ;  but  that 
belongs  to  human  nature.  I  know  those  who  live 
within  a  few  days*  journey  of  Niagara,  who  hurry  off 
to  Europe  without  even  hearing  the  roar  of  its  waters, 
and  will  enter  with  great  complacence  in  their  jour- 
nals accounts  of  lakes  and  streams  that  would  seem 
like  a  spoonfull  compared  to  our  giant  torrents. 


THE  PLANTATION  ON  ASHLEY  RIVER. 

A    BALLAD. 


,       ' 


.- 

19* 


CHATSWORTH,  ASHLEY  RIVER. 

THE  following  simple  but  minute  picture  of  South- 
ern country  life,  written  in  the  quiet  of  the  scene  it 
describes,  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  those  who 
are  not  familiar  with  our  local  circumstances.  Pro- 
bably the  whole  circle  of  romance  cannot  furnish 
sadder  spectacles  than  those  which  arise  from  the 
unfitness  of  our  low-country  residences  to  the  New* 
England  constitution ;  yet  yearly  victims  are  renew- 
ed. The  white  men  who  do  survive  on  our  planta- 
tions, look  cadaverous  and  unhealthy. 

THE  PLANTATION  ON  ASHLEY  RIVER. 

A   BALLAD,— -PART  FIRST. 

Farewell,  awhile,  the  city's  hum, 

Where  busy  footsteps  fall, 
And  welcome  to  my  weary  eye 

The  Planter's  friendly  Hall. 

Here  let  me  rise  at  early  dawn, 
And  list  the  mock-bird's  lay, 

As  warbling  near  our  lowland  home 
He  waves  the  bending  spray. 

Then  tread  the  shading  avenue, 

Beneath  the  Cedar's  gloom, 
Or  Gum  tree  with  its  flicker'd  shade, 

Or  Chinquapen's  perfume. 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

The  Myrtle  tree,  the  Orange  wild, 
The  Cypress1  flexile  bough, 

The  Holly,  with  its  polish'd  leaves 
Are  all  before  me  now. 


There,  towering  with  imperial  pride, 
The  rich  Magnolia  stands, 

And  here  in  softer  loveliness, 

The  white  bloom'd  Bay  expands. 


The  long  gray  moss  hangs  gracefully ; 

Idly  I  twine  its  wreaths, 
Or  stop  to  catch  the  fragrant  air, 

The.  frequent  blossom  breathes. 
-.•" 

Life  wakes  around — the  red  bird  darts 

Like  flame  from  tree  to  tree ; 
The  whip-poor-will  complains  alone-, 

The  -Robin  whistles  free. 

The  frighten'd  Hare  scuds  by  my  path, 
And  seeks  the  thicket  nigh ; 

The  Squirrel  climbs  the  Hickory  bough, 
And  peeps  with  careful  eye. 

The  Humming-bird  with  busy  wing 
In  rainbow  beauty  moves  ; 

Above  the  trumpet-blossom  floats, 
And  sips  the  tube  he  loves. 

Triumphant  to  yon  wither'd  pine, 

The  soaring  Eagle  flies, 
There  builds  her  eyrie  mid  the  clouds, 

And  man  and  heaven  defies. 

The  hunter's  bugle  echoes  near, 

And  see,  his  wary  train, 
With  mingled  bowlings  scent  the  woods, 

Or  scour  the  open  plain. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     225 

Yon  skiff  is  darting  from  the  cove; 

And  list  the  negro's  song, 
The  theme,  his  owner  and  his  boat, 

While  glide  the  crew  along. 

And  when  the  leading  voice  is  lost, 

Receding  from  the,  shore, 
His  brother  boatmen  swell  the  strain, 

In  chorus  with  the  oar. 

There  stands  the  dairy  on  the  stream, 

Within  the  broad  oak's  shade, 
The  white  pails  glitter  in  the  sun, 

In  rustic  pomp  array'd. 

And  she  stands  smiling  at  the  door, 

W^ho  minds  that  milky  way, 
She  smoothes  her  apron  as  I  pass, 

And  loves  the  praise  I  pay. 

Welcome  to  me  her  sable  hands, 

When,  in  the  noontide  heat, 
Within  the  polish'd  calibash 

She  pours  the  pearly  treat. 

The  poulterer's  feather'd  tender  charge 

Feed  on  the  grassy  plain : 
Her  Afric  brow  lights  up  with  smiles, 
Proud  of  her  noisy  train. 

Nor  does  the  herdsman  view  his  flock 

With  unadmiring  gaze, 
Significant  are  all  their  names, 

Won  by  their  varying  ways. 

Forth  from  the  Negroes'  humble  huts 
The  labourers  now  have  gone ; 

But  some  remain,  diseas'd  and  old — 
Do  they  repine  alone  1 


NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

Ah,  no.  The  nurse,  with  practis'd  skill, 
That  sometimes  shames  the  wise, 

Prepares  the  herb  of  potent  power, 
And  healing  aid  applies. 

While  seated  at  his  hut's  low  door, 

The  convalescent  slave 
Gazes  upon  his  garden  store, 

And  sees  the  young  corn  wave. 

On  sunny  banks  his  children  play, 

Or  wind  the  fisher's  line, 
Or,  with  the  dext'rous  fancy-braid, 

Their  willow  baskets  twine. 

Long  ere  tire  sloping  sun  departs, 

The  labourers  quit  the  field, 
And,  hous'd  within  their  sheltering  huts, 

To  careless  quiet  yield. 

But  see,  yon  wild  and  lurid  clouds, 
That  rush  in  contact  strong, 

And  hear  the  thunder,  peal  on  peal, 
Reverberate  along. 

The  cattle  stand  and  mutely  gaze, 

The  birds  instinctive  fly, 
While  forked  flashes  rend  the  air, 

And  light  the  troubled  sky. 

Behold  yon  sturdy  forest  pine, 

Whose  green  top  points  to  heaven. 

A  flash  !  its  firm,  encasing  bark, 
By  that  red  shock  is  riven. 

But  we,  the  children  of  the  south, 
Shrink  not  with  trembling  fears ; 

The  storm  familiar  to  our  youth,          \. 
Will  spare  our  ripen'd  years. 


NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  227 

We  know  its  fresh,  reviving  charm, 

And,  like  the  flower  and  bird, 
Our  looks  and  voices,  in  each  pause, 

With  grateful  joy  are  stirr'd. 

And  now  the  tender  rice  up-shoots, 
Fresh  in  its  hue  of  green,  * 

Spreading  its  emerald  carpet  far 
Beneath  the  sunny  sheen. 

Tho'  when  the  softer  ripen'd  hue 

Of  autumn's  changes  rise, 
The  rustling  spires  instinctive  lift 

Their  gold  seeds  to  the  skies. 

There  the  young  cotton  plant  unfolds 

Its  leaves  of  sickly  hue, 
But  soon  advancing  to  its  growth, 

Looks  up  with  beauty  too. 

And  as  midsummer  suns  prevail, 

Upon  its  blossoms  glow 
Commingling  hues,  like  sunset  rays — 

Then  bursts  its  sheeted  snow. 

How  shall  we  fly  this  lovely  spot, 

Where  rural  joys  prevail, 
The  social  board,  the  eager  chase, 

Gay  dance  and  merry  tale  "? 

Alas !  our  youth  must  leave  their  sports 

When  spring-time  ushers  May  ; 
Our  maidens  quit  the  planted  flower, 

Just  blushing  into  day  ; 

Or,  all  beneath  yon  rural  mound, 
-  Where  rest  th'  ancestral  dead, 
By  mourning  friends,  with  sever'd  hearts, 
Unconscious  will  be  led. 


228  NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

Oh,  Southern  summer,  false  and  fair ! 

Why  from  thy  loaded  wing, 
Blent  with  rich  flowers  and  fruitage  rare, 

The  seeds  of  sorrow  fling? 


PART   SECOND. 

THE  OVERSEER'S  CHILDREN. 

Three  fleeting  years  have  come  and  gone 

Since  Ann  Pomroy  I  met, 
Returning  from  the  district  school, 

Ere  yet  the  sun  was  set.' 

With  her,  her  brother  Francis  stray'd, 

And,  both  in  merry  tone, 
Were  saying  all  the  rambling  things 

Youth  loves  when  tasks  are  done. 

The  mountain  tinge  was  on. their  cheeks  ; 

From  fair  Vermont  they  came, 
For  wandering  habits  led  their  sire 

A  southern  home  to  claim. " 

Fresh  with  the  airy  spring  of  youth. 

They  tripp'd  the  woods  along, 
Now  darting  off  to  cull  a  flower, 

Now  bursting  into  song. 

Oh,.  Ann  Pomroy,  thy  sparkling  eye 

Methinks  I  often  see, 
When  some  young  face,  in  loveliness,- 

Beams  up  in  smiles  to  me. 

And  when  light  rounds  of  boyish  mirth 

Laugh  out  uncheck'd  by  fear, 
It  seems  to  me  that  Francis'  voice 

Is  floating  on  my  ear. 


KOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  '229 

I  said  the  hue  of  health  they  bore, — 

Her's  was  the  nect'rine  fair, 
And  his  the  deep  pomegranite  tinge, 

That  boys  of  beauty  wear. 

They  walk'd  at  early  morn  and  eve, 

And  as  I  yearly  paid 
My  visit  to  the  Planter's  Hall, 

I  saw  the  youth  and  maid. 

At  first,  by  simple  accident 

I  came  upon  their  walk ; 
But  soon  I  lov'd  to  pause,  and  seek 

The  privilege  of  talk— 

Until  my  steps  were  daily  turn'd, 

But  how  I  scarce  can  say, 
When  Ann  and  Francis  came  from  school, 

To  meet  them  on  the  way. 

They  told  me  of  New-England  hills, 

Of  orchards  in  the  sun, 
Of  sleigh-rides  with  the  merry  bells, 

Of  skating's  stirring  fun  ; 

And  sometimes  of  a  grave  they  spake, 

And  then  would  sadder  grow, 
In  which  a  gentle  mother  slept 

Beneath-the  wintry  snow. 
***** 

When  April's  changing  face  was  seen, 

Again  from  town  I  flew, 
To  where  the  sleep  of  nature  wakes 

To  sights  and  odours  new. 

All  things  were  fair — the  plants  of  earth 

Look'd  upward  to  the  sky, 
And  the  blue  heaven  o'erarch'd  them  still 

With  clear  and  glittering  eye. 
20 


230     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

I  sought  the  walk  I  us'd  to  seek, 

And  took  the  little  store 
Of  toys,  that  from  the  city's  mart 

For  Ann  and  Frank  I  bore. 

A  rustling  in  the  leaves  I  heard, 

But  Francis  only  came, 
His  eye  was  dim,  his  cheek  was  pale, 

And  agues  shook  his  frame. 

He  saw  me — to  my  open  arms 
With  sudden  gladness  sprang; 

Then  rais'd  a  thrilling  cry  of  grief, 
With  which  the  forest  rang. 

Few  words  he  spake,  but  led  me  on 
To  where  a  grave-like  mound, 

With  young  spring  plants  and  ever-greens, 
In  rural  taste  were  crown'd. 

And  there  he  stood,  while  gushing  tears 
Like  summer  rain-drops  came, 

And  heavings,  as  a  troubled  sea, 
Went  o'er  his  blighted  frame. 

I  did  not  ask  him  who  was  there, 

I  felt  that  Ann  was  gone, 
Around  his  drooping  neck  I  hung, 

And  stood  like  him  forlorn,  „• 

"  I  soon  shall  die,"  the  mourner  said, 
"  Here  will  they  make  my  grave,    . 
And  over  me  the  Cedar  trees 
And  moaning  Pines  will  wave. 

None  then  will  come  to  tend  the  flowers 

That  blossom  o'er  her  bed ; 
None  sing  for  her  the  twilight  dirge 

When  I  am  with  the  dead. 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  231 

I  cannot  join  the  school-boy  sports 

My  head  and  heart  are  sad  ; 
When  Ann  is  in  the  silent  grave, 

Oh,  how  can  I  be  glad  1 

And  when  I  say  my  studied  tasks, 

Or  gain  the  once-loved  prize, 
I  weep,  and  softly  pray  to  Heaven 

To  lay  me  where  she  lies." 

I  kissed  his  pale  and  suffering  brow, 

By  early  sorrows  riven  ; 
I  talk'd  to  him  of  her  he  lov'd, 

And  rais'd  his  thoughts  to  Heaven. 

And  when  the  call  of  duty  came, 

To  take  me  from  his  side, 
He  told  me,  with  a  sickly  smile, 

"  'Twas  best  that  Ann  had  died." 
*  *  *  *  * 

Another  annual  season  roll'd 

Its  cares  and  joys  along — 
Again  I  sought  the  country's  charms, 

Deep  woods  and  caroll'd  song. 

And  there  1  found  two  silent  graves 

Amid  the  vernal  bloom — 
I  ne'er  shall  see  those  forms  again, 

'Till  Heaven  unseals  the  tomb. 

Oh,  Southern  summer,  false  and  fair, 

Why,  on  thy  loaded  wing, 
Blent  with  rich  flowers  and  fruitage  rare, 

The  seeds  of  sorrow  bring  ? 

I  have  raised  my  chamber  window  to  admit  the 
odour  of  morning,  and  the  song  of  a  mocking-bird, 
which  has  been  varying  its  multiplied  notes,  like  the 


232  NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

tints  on  the  early  sky.  This  exquisite  songster  has  en- 
joyed  frequent  and  various  homage,  but  I  have  never 
met  a  tribute  so  beautiful  as  one  from  a  Charleston 
poet.  Except  that  he  is  chary  of  his  song,  he  might 
be  fancied  to  be  the  prototype  of  our  Phcebus  of  the 
forest.  Those  who  read  the  following  lines  will  feel 
their  rich  Miltonian  flow,  and  doubt  not  the  poetry 
of  travelling  at  the  South,  if  it  unfolds  such  scenes 
and  creates  such  genius. 

A  SOUTHERN  SCENE. 

The  scene  which  most  delighted  me  in  youth 

Was  round  me  still — A  broad  and  winding  lane, 

Its  natural  carpeting,  of  emerald 

'Broidered  with  flowers  of  a  thousand  hues — 

The  wild  rose  clustering  with  the  jessamine, 

In  beautiful  confusion,  quite  shut  out 

The  world  and  its  entanglements — above, 

The  loveliest  of  the  southern  forest,  formed 

Meet  roof  for  such  a  temple,  from  the  oak 

Rejoicing  in  its  never-fading  green, 

And  huge  fantastic  limbs — to  the  slight  myrtle 

Studded  with  bright  blossoms-^here  and  there 

A  lofty  sycamore  would  raise  its  head, 

Most  fearful  of  the  woodland,  last  to  trust 

To  the  soft  wooings  of  the  smiling  spring, 

And  first  to  cast  its  foliage  to  the  ground, 

Before  the  breath  of  winter — but  when  high 

The  sun  rides  in  his  summer  majesty, 

Proudly  the  laggard  Sycamore  puts  on 

Its  garniture  of  silvery  green,  and  waves 

Its  crisp  leaves  to  the  zephyrs,  with  a  sound 

Like  murmurs  of  far  waters — It  was  summer, 

A  Carolinian  summer, — when  the  eye 

Shrinks  dazzled  from  the  blue  of  the  clear  Heavens. 


NOTES    OF    A   SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  233 

Unless,  as  now,  it  falls  upon  the  sight, 

Flickering  the  waving  verdure — Nor  did  lack 

Sweet  music  to  the  magic  of  the  scene. 

The  little  crimson-breasted  nonpareil 

Was  there,  its  tiny  feet  scarce  bending  down 

The  silken  tendril,  that  he  lighted  on 

To  pour  his  love-notes, — and  in  russet  coat 

Most  homely,  like  true  genius  bursting  forth 

In  spite  of  adverse  fortune,  a  full  choir 

Within  himself,  the  merry  mock-bird  sate 

Pilling  the  air  with  melody — and  at  times 

In  the  rapt  fervour  of  his  sweetest  song 

His  quivering  form  would  spring  into  the  sky 

In  spiral  circles,  as  if  he  would  catch 

New  powers  from  kindred  warblers  in  the  clouds. 


20- 


MARY  ANNA  GIBBES, 

THE  HEROINE  OF  STONO. 


ST.  PAUL'S  PARIS!!,  STONO  RIVER. 

EVERY  year  that  rolls  away  will  add  a  new  charm 
to  travelling  in  the  United  States,  for  even  where  the 
scenery  has  no  attraction,  the  hand  of  genius,  busy 
as  that  of  old  Mortality,  will  be  clearing  up  the  re- 
cords  of  our  national  story,  and  bringing  to  light 
names  hidden  by  the  gathered  moss  of  time.  How 
little  did  I  ever  care  for  this  uninteresting  stream, 
until  it  was  associated  with  the  name  of  Mary  Anna 
Gibbes  !  Now  it  is  crowded  with  vivid  associations. 
Our  poets  and  painters  have  a  glorious  field  before 
them !  Already  tbe  graphic  touch  of  Simms  has 
filled  our  Southern  woods  and  plains  with  beings, 
that,  like  the  mythology  of  the  ancients,  give  a  tongue 
to  inanimate  nature. 

The  authentic  anecdote  connected  with  this  por- 
tion of  the  country  which  now  occupies  my  thoughts, 
is  recorded  by  Major  Garden.  It  is  poetry  itself 
without  the  aid  of  measured  word?,  but  I  should  be 
glad  if  I  could  make  our  young  Carolina  heroine 
known  even  to  one  individual.  Colonel  Fenwick, 
distinguished  in  the  war  of  1812,  was  the  person 
saved. 


238  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

MARY  ANNA  GIBBES ; 

THE    YOUNG   HEROINE   OF    STONO,  S.  C. 

Stono,  on  thy  still  banks 
The  roar  of  war  is  heard  ;  its  thunders  swell 
And  shake  yon  mansion  where  domestic  love 
Till  now  breathed  simple  kindness  to  the  heart ; 
Where  white-arm'd  childhood  twined  the  neck  of  age, 
Where  hospitable  cares  lit  up  the  hearth, 
Cheering  the  lonely  traveller  on  his  way. 

A  foe  inhabits  there,  and  they  depart, 
The  infirm  old  man,  and  his  fair  household  too, 
Seeking  another  home. — Home !  Who  can  tell 
The  touching  power  of  that  most  sacred  word, 
Save  he  who  feels  and  weeps  that  he  has  none  ? 

Among  that  group  of  midnight  exiles,  fled 
Young  Mary  Anna,  on  whose  youthful  cheek 
But  thirteen  years  had  kindled  up  the  rose. 
A  laughing  creature,  breathing  heart  and  love, 
Yet  timid  as  the  fawn  in  southern  wilds. 
E'en  the  night-reptile  on  the  dewy  grass 
Startled  the  maiden,  and  the  silent  stars, 
Looking  so  still  from  out  their  cloudy  home, 
Troubled  her  mind.    No  time  was  there  for  gauds 
And  toilette  art,  in  this  quick  flight  of  fear; 
Her  glossy  hair,  damp'd  by  the  midnight  winds, 
Lay  on  her  neck  dishevelled ;  gathered  round 
Her  form  in  hurried  folds  clung  her  few  garments  ; 
Now  a  quick  thrilling  sob,  half  grief,  half  dread, 
Came  bursting  from  her  heart, — and  now  her  eyes 
Glar'd  forth,  as  peal'd  the  cannon  ;  then  beneath 
Their  drooping  lids,  sad  tears  redundant  flowed.   - 

But  sudden  mid  the  group  a  cry  arose, 
"  Penwick  !  where  is  he  V    None  returned  reply, 
But  a  sharp  piercing  glance  went  out,  around, 
Keen  as  a  mother's  towards  her  infant  child 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      239 

When  sudden  danger  lowers,  and  then  a  shriek 
From  one,  from  all  burst  forth — "  He  is  not  here  !" 

Poor  boy,  he  slept,  nor  crash  of  hurrying  guns, 
Nor  impious  curses,  nor  the  warrior's  shout 
Awoke  his  balmy  rest !    He  dreamt  such  dreams 
As  float  round  childhood's  couch,  of  angel  s  face 
Peering  through  clouds ; — of  sunny  rivulets, 
Where  the  fresh  streams  flow  rippling  on,  to  waft 
A  tiny  sail ; — and  of  his  rabbits  white, 
With  eyes  of  ruby,  and  his  tender  fawn's 
Long  delicate  limbs,  light  tread,  and  graceful  neck. 
He  slept  unconscious. — Who  shall  wake  that  sleep 
All  shrink,  for  now  th'  artillery  louder  roars ; — 
Ths  frightened  slaves  crouch  at  their  master's  side, 
And  he,  infirm  and  feeble,  scarce  sustains 
His  sinking  weight. 

There  was  a  pause,  a  hush 

So  deep,  that  one  could  hear  the  forest  leaves       j 
Flutter  and  drop  before  the  war-gun's  peal. 
Then  forward  stood  that  girl,  young  Mary  Ann, 
The  tear  dried  up  upon  her  cheek,  the  sob 
Crushed  down,  and  in  that  high  and  lofty  tone 
Which  sometimes  breathes  of  woman  in  the  child, 
She  said,  "  He  shall  not  die" — and  turned  alone. 

Alone  1  oh  gentle  girlhood,  not  alone 
Art  thou,  if  ONE,  watching  above,  will  guard 
Thee  on  thy  way. 

Clouds  shrouded  up  the  stars  ;— 
On — on  she  sped,  the  gun's  broad  glare  her  guide ! 
The  wolf-growl  sounded  near, — on — onward  still ; 
The  forest  trees  like  warning  spirits  moaned, — 
She  pressed  her  hand  against  her  throbbing  heart, 
But  faltered  not.    The  whizzing  shot  went  by, 
Scarce  heeded  went — Pass'd  is  a  weary  mile 
With  the  light  step  a  master-spirit  gives 
On  duty's  road,  and  she  has  reached  her  home. 
Her  home — is  this  her  home  at  whose  fair  gate 


249  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

Stern  foes  in  silence  stand  to  bar  her  way  1 
That  gate,  which  from  her  infant  childhood  leap'd 
On  its  wide  hinges,  glad  at  her  return  1 
Before  the  sentinels  she  trembling  stood, 
"     And  with  a  voice,  whose  low  and  tender  tones 
Rose  like  the  ring-dove's  in  midsummer  storms, 
She  said, 

"  Please  let  me  pass,  and  seek  a  child, 
Who,  in  my  father's  mansion  has  been  left 
Sleeping,  unconscious  of  the  danger  near." 

While  thus  she  spake,  a  smile  incredulous 
Stole  o'er  the  face  of  one, — the  other  cursed 
And  barr'd  her  from  the  way. 

"  Oh,  sirs,"  she  cried, 

While  from  her  upraised  eyes  the  tears  stream 'd  down, 
And  her  small  hands  were  clasp'd  in  agony, 
"  Drive  me  not  hence,  I  pray.    Until  to-night 
I  dared  not  stray  beyond  my  nurse's  side 
In  the  dim  twilight ;  yet  I  now  have  come 
Alone,  unguarded,  this  far  dreary  mile, 
By  darkness  unappalled  ; — a  simple  worm 
Would  often  fright  my  heart,  and  bid  it  beat ; 
But  now  I've  heard  the  wild  wolf's  angry  howl 
With  soul  undaunted — till  to-night  I've  shrunk 
From  men; — and  soldiers  !  scarcely  dared  I  look 
Upon  their  glittering  arms  ;— but  here  I  come 
And  sue  to  you,  men,  warriors  ; — drive  me  not 
Away.     He  whom  I  seek  is  yet  a  child, 
A  prattling  boy;  and  must  he,  must  he  die! 
Oh,  if  you  love  your  children,  let  me  pass. — 
You  will  not  1     Then  my  strength  and  hope  are  gone, 
And  I  shall  perish  ere  I  reach  my  friends." 

And  then'  she  press'd  her  brow,  as  if  those  hands , 
So  soft  and  small,  could  still  it  throbbing  pulse. 
The  sentinels  looked  calmly  on,  like  men 
Whose  blades  had  toyed  with  sorrow,  and  made  sport 
Of  woe.     One  step  the  maiden  backward  took, 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      241 

Lingering  in  thought,  then  hope,  like  a  soft  flush 
Of  struggling  twilight,  kindled  in  her  eyes. 
She  knelt  before  them,  and  re-urged  her  plea. 

"  Perchance  you  have  a  sister,  sir,  or  you, 
A  poor  young  thing  like  me ;  if  she  were  here, 
Kneeling  like  me  before  my  countrymen, 
They  would  not  spurn  her  thus." 

"  Go,  girl,— pass  on  "— 
The  softened  voice  of  one  replied,  nor  was 
She  checked,  nor  waited  she  to  hear  repulse, 
But  darted  through  the  avenue,  attained 
The  hall,  and  springing  up  the  well-known  stairs 
With  such  a  flight  as  the  young  eagle  takes 
To  gain  its  nest,  she  reached  the  quiet  couch, 
Where,  in  bright  dreams,  th'  unconscious  sleeper  lay. 
Slight  covering  o'er  the  rescued  boy  she  threw, 
And  caught  him  in  her  arms.     He  knew  that  cheek, 
Kiss'd  it  half-waking,  then  around  her  neck 
His  hands  entwined,  and  dropp'd  to  sleep  again. 

She  bore  him  onward,  dreading  now  for  him 
The  shot  that  whizz'd  along,  and  tore  the  earth 
In  fragments  by  her  side.     She  reached  the  guards, 
Who  silent  op'd  the  gate, — then  hurried  on, 
But  as  she  pass'd  them,  from  her  heart  burst  forth — 
"  God  bless  you,  gentlemen  !"  then  urged  her  way ; 
Those  arms,  whose  heaviest  load  and  task  had  been 
To  poise  her  doll,  and  wield  her  childhood's  toys, 
Bearing  the  boy  along  the  dangerous  road. 
Voices  at  length  she  hears— her  friends  are  near, 
They  meet,  and  yielding  up  her  precious  charge; 
She  sinks  upon  her  father's  breast,  in  doubt 
'Twixt  smiles  and  tears. 


21 


FORT    MOULTRIE, 

OR 

SULLIVAN'S  ISLAND. 


- 


.•   - 


- 


SULLIVAN'S  ISLAND. 

THIS  is  a  wild  and  uncultivated  spot,  desirable 
only  for  its  patriotic  associations,  and  the  sea-breeze 
that  brings  health  in  its  current.  For  about  two 
months  in  midsummer  the  public  boarding-house  is 
thronged  ;  now,  at  the  close  of  August,  I  am  quite 
alone. 

The  steam-boat  has  its  afternoon  crowds,  but  they 
only  ramble  on  the  beach,  and  return  to  the  city. 
The  aspect  of  the  individuals  hurrying  thither  for 
health  or  pleasure,  and  the  historical  recollections 
of  the  scene,  have  induced  me  to  beguile  my  lone- 
liness by  embodying  my  thoughts  in  lines  adapted  to 
the  tune  of  The  Emerald  Isle. 

HURRAH  FOR  SULLIVAN'S  ISLE! 

Our  Fair  Steamer  cuts  swiftly  the  wave, 

And  her  smoke  tells  our  track  on  the  sky, 
As  we  steer  where  the  noble  and  brave 
Once  assembled  to  conquer  and  die ! 
And  still  hallow'd  to  us  is  the  spot, 

Where  Liberty  first  gave  her  smile, 
Nor  be  the  Palmetto  Fort  ever  forgot 
As  we  gather  to  Sullivan's  Isle. 

Then  Hurrah  for  our  Sullivan's  Isle ! 

Hurrah  for  our  Sullivan's  Isle ! 
Nor  be  the  Palmetto  Fort  ever  forgot, 
As  we  gather  to  Sullivan's  Isle ! 
21* 


246     NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Oh,  Fair  Steamer,  be  true  on  our  seas, 

For  the  gentle  and  lovely  are  here, 
The  wan  infant  revives  at  the  breeze, 

And  the  young  mother  wipes  off  her  tear. 
When  thou  bearest  the  aged  and  young, 

To  where  health  brings  its  ravishing  smile, 
Let  not  the  Palmetto  Fort  e'er  be  unsung, 
As  we  gather  to  Sullivan's  Isle ! 

Then  Hurrah  for  our  Sullivan's  Isle  1 

Hurrah  for  our  Sullivan's  Isle ! 
Let  not  the  Palmetto  Fort  e'er  be  unsung, 
As  we  gather  to  Sullivan's  Isle. 


There  are  two  churches  on  the  island,  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  and  Episcopal  persuasions. 
I  was  one  of  twelve  worshippers  at  the  latter  this 
morning.  There  is  something  deeply  impressive  in 
the  low  murmurs  of  the  summer  ocean  mingling  in 
with  man's  tones  of  penitence  and  thanksgiving, 
while  the  waves,  the  winds,  the  flowers,  the  birds 
speak  their  language  of  natural  joy. 

THOUGHTS  AT  GRACE  CHURCH, 
SULLIVAN'S  ISLAND. 

Praise  is  around ! 
The  bounding  waves  swell  on, 

Giving  their  rushing  voices  to  their  God, 
And  ere,  commingling  with  the  deep,  they've  goae, 
Throw  incense-foam  abroad, 
With  solemn  sound. 

Praise  on  the  winds ! 
Borne  on  their  countless  tongues, 

They  tell  the  story  of  creative  power, 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  247 

While  the  wild  music  of  their  sacred  songs, 
In  many  a  shrub  and  flower 
A  listener  finds. 

Praise  from  the  flower  ! 
Tho'  few  and  scatter'd  here, 

Yet  even  here,  among  these  sands  they  bloom  ; 
Like  pious  thoughts,  when"  hearts  are  bleak  and  drear, 
To  heaven  they  give  their  color  and  perfume, 
Their  innocent  dower. 

Praise  from  the  bird  ! 
The  garden  songster  wakes 

His  long,  rich  notes  of  Sabbath  minstrelsy  — 
His  stealthy  step  the  white  crane  lightly  takes, 
And  the  wild  curlew  floats  on  quietly, 
With  wing  scarce  stirr'd. 

Praise  from  my  soul  ! 
By  holy  prayer  upborne, 

Come  hither,  Faith,  that  seeks  the  Deity, 
And  Penitence,  of  earthly  trappings  shorn, 
And  her  best  partner,  gentle  Charity, 
Me  still  control. 

My  prayer  is  this  : 
Though  toss'd  on  time's  dark  sea, 

That  I  may  reach  at  length  that  blessed  shore, 
Where  waveless,  passionless,  yet  free, 
The  tumult  of  the  world  all  o'er, 
We  rest  in  bliss. 


Though  there  is  something  stimulating  to  the  frame 
and  exciting  to  the  spirits  in  an  ocean  day-scene, 
the  heart  is  subdued  by  the  wave-dash  that  returns 
again  and  again  in  darkness  ;  there  is  a  supernatural 


248  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

brightness  in  the  stars,  gemming  their  far  and  wide 
canopy ;  and  the  waters,  tinged  by  moon-beams,  seem 
like  deathly  upturned  faces.  It  is  late.  I  am  lone- 
ly,  and  as  I  gaze  on  Charleston,  where  all  I  love  re- 
pose, I  feel  an  awe  and  tremor  as  if  its  distant  spires 
could  tell  me  secrets  of  its  few  wild  wakeful,  or  thou- 
sand unconscious  dreaming  ones. 

She  sleeps,  my  own  fair  city,  and  the  moon  " 
Looks  down  with  guardian  eyes,  as  clear  and  still 
As  a  fond  mother's  o'er  her  infant  child — 
As  still — as  wakeful.    How  profound  her  sleep ! 

The  Light-house  fire  burns  on,  emblem  of  Him 
Who  rests  not  'mid  the  slumbering,  but  on  high 
Holds  his  bright  torch  o'er  yet  uncounted  worlds. 
Peace  is  around  in  nature — peace  and  joy ! 
Scarcely  a  cloud  is  seen  save  one,  which  like 
A  veil  o'er  beauty,  lends  a  softer  ray 
To  heaven's  bright  eyes,  that  look  out  through  the  stars, 
While  the  west  wind,  in  gentle  breezes,  sweeps 
The  gentle  wave. 

How  distant,  yet  how  tiear, 
Seems  the  great  city — near,  for  I  have  heard 
The  sounding  bell  when  the  tenth  hour  was  toll'd ; — 
Near,  for  I  see  the  fading  lights  retire, 
As  one  "by  one  men  seek  oblivious  rest. 
The  old  man  goes  to  sleep  through  dreamless  hours, 
Unless  perchance  a  thought  of  youth  steals  in 
And  opens  the  far  past ; — and  childhood  sleeps, 
Its  light  breast  heaving  like  the  young  pine  tops. 
Some  sink  upon  their  pillow,  tired  of  life, 
And  heavily  lie  down  to  shut  their  eyes 
.On  earth's  cold  vanities ;  some,  haunted  by 
Fierce  crimes,  toss  on  a  restless  couch,  and  sigh 
For  breaking  morn ;  some,  bless'd  with  virtue's  meed, 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  249 

A  happy  heart,  close  their  soft  lids,  and  dream 
Of  good  deeds  done  and  blessings  yet  in  store. 

And  is  crime  brooding  now  o'er  that  still  scene, 
Active  and  eager,  in  these  tranquil  hours  1 
Oh,  may  heaven  shield  thee,  city  of  my  heart — 
Home  of  my  household — where  my  dead  repose  ! 
God  guard  the  living — would  that  I  could  hear 
Their  sleeping  breath,  and  bless  them  as  they  lie ! 
The  dead  need  not  my  blessing — safe  are  they. 

How/ar  she  seems,  the  city  of  my  love! 
The  kindling  spark  might  wrap  her  towers  in  flame, 
And  my  weak  voice  sound  faint  as  insect's  wing 
When  thunder  shakes  the  air  ! 

My  yearning  soul 

Looks  towards  her,  as  the  fluttering  bird  that  leaves 
Its  mother's  nest  too  soon,  and  pants  for  home. 
Oh,  I  am  lonely  in  this  midnight  scene. 
God  guard  the  sleepers—  I  will  go  and  pray. 


' 


A  SOUTHERN  SKETCH; 

BY 

MARY  ELIZABETH  LEE. 


. 

. 


A  SOUTHERN  SKETCH. 

THE  following  lines  from  a  delicate  and  favorite 
pen  are  so  touchingly  descriptive  of  a  local  scene  of 
actual  occurrence,  as  to  seem  happily  adapted  to  the 
Poetry  of  Travelling  : 

A  SOUTHERN  SKETCH. 

BY   MARY   E.   LEE. 

There  was  a  hush  of  silence ! — the  lone  room 
Was  darken'd  to  a  soft  and  dreamy  light ; 
The  morning  beam  look'd  in,  yet  seem'd  to  shun 
A  spot  so  chill  and  noiseless :  the  Spring  gale 
Breath'd,  as  it  poUr'd  its  wealth  of  gather'd  sweets, 
A  low  and  thrilling  music;  and  the  flowers, 
Fresh  from  Earth's  sunny  pastures,  bloom'd  around, 
And  shed  a  balmy  fragrance  o'er  the  scene. 
The  dead  was  there  !  not  in  the  sable  pall 
And  stern  and  rigid  aspect,  that  would  haunt 
In  after-days  the  living,  but  the  dead- 
So  altogether  lovely,  that  it  seem'd 
"  Clad  in  its  spotless  robes,  as  if  just  deck'd 
To  be  the  bride  of  Heaven.     Time  had  trac'd 
No  line  upon  her  brow,  and  Death  stood  by 
With  weak  and  nerveless  arm,  as  if  he  fear'd 
To  mar  a  thing  so  perfect.    There  she  lay — 
She  of  the  glossy  locks  and  pale-rose  cheek, 
With  lips  half  clos'd,  and  eyelids  softly  seal'd, 
Like  one,  who  in  some  blissful  vision  hears 
22 


254  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

A  strain  of  seraph  music.     On  her  breast 
Her  hands  were  meekly  folded,  while  beneath, 
The  heart  lay  still,  as  if  it  joy'd  to  know 
Its  labours  all  were  o'er. 

A  faltering  step  is  heard  ;  and  with  his  frame 
Tottering  'neath  weight  of  days,  comes  slowly  on, 
Leaning  upon  his  staff,  a  dark-brow'd  man, 
"Who  counted  more  than  fourscore  years  on  earth. 
Mysterious  thoughts  weigh  on  him ;  and  he  moves 
With  wondering  gaze,  a  trembling,  awe-struck  one, 
Towards  that  fragile  being.     They  had  sought 
By  gestures  strong  and  oft-repeated  words, 
To  nerve  him  for  the  conflict ;  yet  in  vain — 
In  vain !    For  to  his  lock'd  and  prison'd  mind 
The  silvery  key  is  broken  ;  age  hath  cast 
A  mildew  o'er  his  senses.     There  he  stands 
As  if  entranc'd.     Towards  the  flowers  he  turns ; 
And  now  strong  sympathies  are  waking  up 
In  his  benighted  bosom.     He  it  was, 
That  long  had  rear'd  and  cherish'd  them  with  care, 
And  hail'd  the  gladdening  sunbeam,  and  the  shower 
That  added  to  their  beauty  and  their  bloom. 
And  now  he  passes  on  with  stealthy  tread,  • 
To  gaze  on  that  fair  being,  who  was  wont 
To  bid  him  always  welcome ;  and  did  look 
So  graceful  and  benign,  when  with  meek  smile 
He  tender'd  the  young  blossoms,  deeming  well 
That  they  shone  brighter  in  her  fairy  hand. 
He  gazes  on  her  with  a  vacant  eye ; 
Until  at  last  the  startling  truth  comes  home 
To  his  bewilder'd  bosom  ;  then  with  brow 
Knit  to  a  fearful  sternness,  and  his  breast 
Heaving  and  stirr'd  with  agony  of  thought, 
He  kneels  in  speechless  wo,  and  seems  to  doubt 
The  hand  that  could  have  pluck'd  a  flower  so  bright 
From  Love's  most  cherish'd  bower;     Now  't  is  past. 
The  fever-dream  is  gone! — he  breathes  again — 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHEKX   EXCURSION.  255 

Each  chilling  doubt  has  vanish'd  ;  and  a  beam 
Of  Faith  lights  up  the  darkness  of  his  soul. 
He  lifts  his  arms  to  Heavjen,  and  kindling  prayer 
Lends  a  pure  lustre  to  his  ebon  brow  ; 
Then  humbly  bows  before  her,  as  if  mov'd 
To  do  the  pale  dust-homage  ;.  then  wkh  look 
More  eloquent  than  words,  he  turns  away ; 
And  leaves  the'peaceful  sleeper  with  her  God. 


THE  BLIND  NEGRO  COMMUNICANT. 

A   SKETCH    FROM   LIFE, 
BY    MARY    E.    LEE. 

The  Saviour's  feast  was  spread.     Group  after  group 

From  Zion's  scattering  band,  now  silent  throng'd 

Around  the  sacred  table,  glad  to  pay 

(As  far  as  sinful,  erring  men  can  pay) 

Their  debt  of  gratitude,  and  share  anew 

The  plain  memorials  of  his  dying  love. 

All  ranks  were  gather'd  there.     The  rich  and  poor: 

The  ignorant  and  wise ;  the  tear-wet  soul, 

And  the  glad  spirit  yet  in  sunshine  clad  ; 

All,  with  their  many  hopes,  and  cares  and  griefs, 

Sought,  quiet  and  unmarked,  their  'customed  place, 

And  still  at  the  full  banquet  there  was  room. — 

It  was  a  solemn  season ;  and  I  sat 

Wrapt  in  a  cloud  of  thought,  uotil  a  slow 

And  measured  footstep  fell  upon  my  ear ; 

And  when  I  turned  to  look,  an  aged  man 

Of  threescore  years  and  ten  appeared  to  view. 

It  was  the  blind  Communicant !     He  came, ' 

Led  by  a  friendly  hand,  and  took  his  place 

Nearest  the  table,  with  a  reverent  air, 

As  if  he  felt  the  spot  was  holy  ground^- 

There  was  a  perfect  hush  ! — The  hour  was  come  !• 

The  symbols  were  disclosed,  and  soon  they  rose 


256  NOTES   OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

The  sweet  tones  of  the  sheperd  of  the  flock, 

Telling  once  more  the  story  of  the  Cross  ; 

And  as  he  spoke,  in  sympathy  I  gazed 

Upon  the  blind  old  pilgrim  by  my  side. 

The  sight  was  touching !     As  the  Pastor  taught, 

In  accents  all  subdued,  how  Jesus  bore 

The  flight  of  friends,  the  stern  denial- vow, 

The 'spear,  the  thorns,  the  agonizing  cross, 

With  want,  shame,  persecution,  torture,  death, 

The  old  man  shook,  convulsed  ;  his  ebon  brow 

Grew  pallid  in  its  hue ;  a  few  big  tears 

.Ran  trickling  down  his  cheek,  and  from  his  lip 

Methought  there  came  the  words,  "  Lord,  is  it  I?" 

But  when  there  stole  upon  each  listening  ear 

And  throbbing  heart,  that  prayer  of  matchless  love,. 

That  type  and  watch-word  for  all  after-prayer, 

"  Father,  forgive  them  !"  then  he  clasp'd  his  hands, 

And  bowing  his  hoar  head  upon  his  breast, 

Wept,  even  as  a  weaned  child  might  weep. 

There  was  a  change  !      The  bread  and  wine  were 

brought, 

He  wiped  the  gushing  drops  from  his  thin  cheek, 
Bowed  solemnly — received  them  both — then  paused — 
Till,  raising  his  dull  eye-balls  up  to  heaven, 
As  asking  for  God's  blessing  on  the  rite^ 
He  broke  the  bread,  received  the  goblet  close 
Within  his  wither'd  hands ;  restored  it  safe ;—     . 
Then,  while  a  peaceful  smile  illum'd  his  face, 
Sank  back  as  in  an  ecstacy  of  bliss. 
The  parting  hymn  was  .sung,  and  oft  I  paus'd 
And  stopped  to  listen,  as  the  old  man's  voice, 
Broken  and  shrill,  sought  too  to  mingle  in 
With  modulated  tones,  and  though  his'lip 
TJtter'd  no  music,  yet  I  joyed  to  know 
The  heart  was  all  link'd-melody  within. 
Christ's  seal  was  stamp'd  anew  upon  each  soul; 
The  solemn  rite  was  finished,  and  the  band. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 


Warmed  to  each  kindly  touch  of  human  love, 

Moved,  full  of  thoughtful  cheerfulness,  along 

The  quiet  church-yard,  where  gay  sunbeams  danced 

On  the  white  marble  tombs,  and  bright  flowers  made 

A  pleasant  home  for  Death ;  while  'mongst  them  all 

The  blind  Communicant  went  groping  on 

Along  his  midnight  path.     The  sight  was  sad  ! 

My  heart  yearn'd  for  him — and  I  longed  for  power 

Te  say,  as  the  disciples  said  of  old, 

"  Blind  man!  receive  thy  sight," — and  in  the  might 

Of  strong  compassion,  I  could  e'en,  methought, 

Have  entered  his  dark  prison-house  awhile 

And  let  him  gaze  in  turn,  on  the  blue  skies, 

And  the  glad  sunshine,  .and  the  laughing  earth. 

But  soon  I  owned  a  sense  of  higher  things, 

And  in  the  heart's  soft  dialect  I  said, 

"  Old  soldier  of  the  Cross,  'tis  well  with  thee  ! 

Thy  warfare  is  nigh  finished  ;  and  though  Earth 

Be  but  an  utter  blank,  yet  soon  thou'lt  gaze 

On  that  bright  country  where  thy  God  shall  be 

The  never-setting  Sun  ;  and  Christ,  thy  Lord, 

Will  lead  thec  through  green  pastures,  where  the  still 

And  living  waters  play.     And  though  thou  art 

A  creature  lonely  and  unpriz'd  by  men, 

Yet  thou  mayst  stand  a  Prince  'mongst  Princes,  when 

The  King  makes  up  his  jewels  !" 


SOUTHERN  LOCAL  SKETCH. 

ST.  JOHN'S  PARISH. 

A  young  Greek  remarked  to  me,  on  a  recent  drive 
to  this  portion  of  the  country,  that  he  had  seen  no- 
thing  since  he  left  his  native  land  so  beautiful  and 
affecting  in  natural  scenery,  as  the  gray  moss  wav- 
ing  in  wild  decoration  on  the  trees  near  the  old 
church  at  Goose-Creek.  It  is  worth  while  for  the 
22* 


258  NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION". 

traveller  to  turn  aside  and  pause  at  this  ruin,  which 
was  erected  about  1707.  The  fences  are  broken 
down,  the  grave-stones  defaced,  and  every  object 
shows  marks  of  decay  ;  still  there  are  thoughts  con- 
nected with  St.  James's  Church  in  its  romantic  soli- 
tude  and  dilapidation,  that  many  minds  would  not 
exchange  for  the  trim  finish  of  a  city  edifice.  A 
friend  entered  the  broken  window,  and  opened  the 
door  for  us. — There  are  four  arched  windows,  two 
of  them  with  a  cherub  in  stucco  on  each  key-stone. 
Over  one  door  a  Pelican  is  represented  feeding  her 
young.  The  Decalogue,  Apostle's  Creed,  and  Lord's 
Prayer,  are  carved  on  marble  tables  between  Corin- 
thian pillars,  The  following  is  the  oldest  epitaph  : 

Under  this  lyes  the  late  John  Gibbes, 

Who  deceased  on  the  7tt  August,  1711. 

Aged  40. 

The  most  curious  object  to  an  American  is  the 
Royal  arms,  which  were  formerly  a  fixture  over  the 
east  window,  but  now,  in  their  fallen  and  ruined  state, 
are  a  striking  emblem  of  the  political  change  which 
has  been  wrought  since  they  were  placed  there.  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Lord  Selkirk  explain 
some  points  in  this  painting  on  his  late  visit  to  Ame- 
rica ;  but  whether  I  was  awed  by  listening  to  an 
Earl's  son,  or  whether,  as  an  American,  I  have  a  na- 
tural  obtuseness  on  such  points,  I  cannot  say  ;  but  I 
have  entirely  forgotten  every  thing  he  said  on  that 
subject.  His  simple,  earnest,  and  unaffected  manner, 
however,  I  vividly  remember,  as  well  as  the  interest 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  259 

he  displayed  in  rice-culture  and  other  local  topics  on 
Cooper  river. 

Sacred  historical  recollections  are  beginning  to 
cluster  over  many  a  spot  in  our  country,  and  the 
traveller  will  feel  them  in  full  force  at  the  plantation 
of  Henry  Laurens,  President  of  the  first  American 
Congress.  It  is  a  beautiful  thought,  that  when  do- 
mestic  recollections  begin  to  fade  in  the  lapse  of 
years,  patriotism  is  twining  its  wreath  to  hang  over 
the  scenes  where  our  country's  saviours  lived  and 
trod.  The  avenue  leading  to  the  family  burial-place 
is  very  extensive.  It  is  shaded  on  one  side  by  trees 
of  luxuriant  growth,  and  on  the  other  a  Cherokee 
rose  hedge  has  grown  beyond  its  original  design,  and 
throwing  its  arms  around,  gives  a  romantic  wildness 
to  the  path.  The  burial-place  is  situated  on  a  knoll 
of  considerable  elevation,  just  on  a  graceful  sweep 
of  the  river.  It  is  wooded  to  the  base  with  a  varie- 
ty of  forest  growth,  except  where  a  stone  wall  en- 
closes the  remains  of  the  dead.  Without  the  wall,  for 
a  large  space,  are  monuments  with  wooden  crosses, 
indicating  the  spot  where  the  negroes  are  laid,  that 
numerous  family  over  whom  history  declares  he  pre- 
sided with  such  paternal  kindness. 

On  returning  to  the  avenue  after  having  mused 
awhile  over  the  tombs,  and  relieved  the  solemnity 
and  awe  of  the  scene  by  a  glance  at  the  shining 
waters  of  the  Cooper,  as  it  lay  calmly  in  the  noon- 
day sun,  my  thoughts  turned  back  to  the  past. — On 
this  very  path,  I  reflected,  has  one  of  our  greatest 
patriots  trod,  perhaps  in  the  bitterness  of  weeping 


260  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

affection,  or  in  softened  recollection  wreathing  the 
young  vines,  or  planting  those  memorials  which  the 
busy  heart  loves  to  raise ;  or  perhaps  he  stole  to  the 
seclusion  of  this  avenue  to  muse  alone,  and  plan 
great  things  for  his  country,  and  gird  up  his  soul  for 
his  patriotic  trials. 

PRIVTAE.  COLLECTION    OP   PAINTINGS. 

This  part  of  the  country  not  only  contains  scenes 
of  historical  interest,  but  in  the  residence  of  H.  S. 
Ball,  Esq.  affords  a  delightful  treat  to  the  lover  of 
the  fine  arts.  ,.  I  have  never  experienced  half  the 
the  delight  in  city  exhibitions  of  pictures,  however 
extensive,  that  I  have  felt  in  examining  the  paintings 
in  this  unbroken  retirement.  The  tranquillity  of  the 
country  seems  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  chastened 
reflecting  mood  with  which  we  pause  over  works  of 
genius.  The  following  list  will  show  that  the  mind 
need  not  be  idle  here. 

The  first  object  to  arrest  the  attention,  and  which 
is  probably  one  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of  the  art, 
is  Spalatrd's  vision  of  the  bloody  hand,  by  Washington 
Allston.  Its  exquisite  finish  as  a  painting  seems  to 
add,  by  contrast,  to  the  fierce  and  hardy  expression 
of  the  murderer.  I  have  sitten  silently  before  the 
picture,  until  I  began  to  feel  the  wildness  of  that 
midnight  scene  over  my  whole  spirit.  This  chef 
d'cevre  was  executed  for  Mr.  Ball,  and  there  is  no 
other  copy  existing. 

Second — The  Bride  of  Lammermoor,  by  Henry 
Inman.  This  is  in  fine  relief  to  the  effort  of  All- 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  261 

ston's,  being  purely  a  picture  of  the  affections. 
Some  critics  have  thought  the  figure  of  Lucy 
Ashton  too  embonpoint  for  the  conception  of  the  no- 
velist.  However  this  may  be,  the  error  is  nobly 
compensated  by  the  strange  incertitude  in  the  ex- 
pression of  her  countenance,  which  wonderfully  re- 
alizes the  leading  characteristics  of  the  individual, 
filial  awe  and  deep  absording  constancy  in  love.  The 
clergyman,  the  mother  with  her  iron  obstinacy,  the 
cure-worn,  heart-broken,  yet  noble  lover,  and  all  the 
minute  points  of  the  picture,  are  perfect.  This  also 
was  painted  for  the  present  owner. 

Third — A  portrait  of  Henry  Inman.     Spirited. 

Fourth — A  portrait  of  a  child,  by  Stuart.  One  of 
his  most  beautiful  efforts. 

Fifth— Conrad  and  Gulnare,  by  J.  B.  White.  The 
dungeon  and  sleeping  figure  have  Mr. White's  pecu- 
liar merits,  which  consist  in  bold  conceptions  and 
strong  contrasts. 

Sixth — A  water -color  drawing,  by  W.  G.  Wall.  A 
beautiful  sketch. 

Seventh — Children  playing,  supposed  to-be  of  the 
School  of  Nicholas  Poussin,  by  B.  K.  Thes.e  rogues 
are  in  the  lovely  freedom  of  youth,  all  grace  and 
spirit. 

Eighth — Monkeys  carousing,  by,  David  Tenters. 
It  is  impossible  not  to  sympathize  with  this  odd  group. 
The  picture  speaks  its  authorship. 

Ninth— *A  Madonna,  by  Carlo  Marqtti*  Exqui- 
sitely painted  on  amethyst ;  the  effect  is  as  if  the 
figure  were  floating  in  clouds. 


262  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION. 

Tenth — St.  Ignatius,  by  Vandyck.  The  attention 
is  at  once  arrested  by  this  bold  and  characteristic 
head,  depressed  in  its  broad  margin  of  frame. 

Eleventh — Sheep,  <$fc.,  by  a  French  artist. — Agree- 
able grouping  and  coloring-. 

Twelfth — A  sketch  of  the  Aurora,  from  Guido's 
fresco  in  the  palace  at  Rome.  This  class  of  copies 
must  always  be  less  attractive  than  other  pictures, 
from  the  crowding  of  objects  in  a  small  space.  This 
is  finished  with  great  delicacy. 

Thirteenth— A  view  of  Newport  Harbor,  R.  I.  in 
waters  colors,  by  W.  G.  Wall.  - 

Fourteenth — View  of  the  entrance  to  Newport  Har- 
lor,  W.  G.  Wall.  These  bold  rocks  and  smooth 
waters  are  among  the  finest  of  our  local  scenes  as 
subjects  for  the  artist. 

Fifteenth—  The  Shepherd,  by  Murillo.  This  is  a 
very  peculiar  picture.  It  represents  a  figure  with 
a  sheepskin  thrown  carelessly  about  him,  and  his 
fingers  on  his  pipe,  with  an  expression  as  if  some 
pleasant  note  had  just  occurred  to  him.  The  open 
mouth  gives  at  first  an  unpleasant  effect,  but  a  mo- 
ment's observation  shows  its  truth,  while  the  eye 
rests  unsated  on  the  harmony  of  the  coloring. 

Sixteenth — The  Repast,  by  Terburgh.  A  most 
finished  work.  The  group  consists  of  a  lady  ele- 
gantly attired,  sitting  at  a  table,  a  gentleman  beside 
her,  offering  her  refreshments,  and  two  attendant  fe- 
males in  graceful  attitudes,  and  a  boy  selecting  wine 
from  a  cooler.  Every  thing  is  in  the  highest  style 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     263 

of  elegance,  and  all  graduated  from  her  who  seems 
to  be  the  queen  of  this  little  festival. 

Seventeenth — Portrait  of  Rubens,  by  Ribeira, 
usually  called  Espagnoletto.  The  shading  of  this 
artist  well  sets  off  the  marked  head  of  Rubens. 

Eighteenth — Lake    Thrasymene,    by    J.    Vernet. 
This  picture  is  peculiar    for  the  cold  gray  tint  of 
dawn,  for  which  the  artist  is  remarkable. 
Nineteenth — A  charger,  by  Van  Ayteman. 
Twentieth — Lake  Winnipiseogee,  by  C.  Fraser. 
Twenty-first — Squam  Lake,  by  C.  Fraser.     The 
coloring  is  so  true  to  nature  as  to  seem  cold,  for  that 
is  the  actual  peculiarity  of  these  scenes.     The  warm- 
er pictures  of  this  accomplished  artist  give  me  more 
pleasure,   particularly  his  views  of  Niagara,  which 
Allston  once  said  looked  like  water  rushing  out  of 
space.     Mr.  Ball  has  other  pictures  of  Mr.  Eraser's, 
not  yet  in  this  collection. 

Twenty. second — Copy  from  Jordan,  by  a  young  ar- 
tist. 

Twenty-third — Copy  from  Wouvermans,  by  a  young 
artist.     Great  promises,  particularly  the  latter. 

Twenty-fourth — Landscape  with  Dogs,  by  W.  G. 
Wall. 

Twenty-fifth — Game,  unknown.     And, 
Twenty-sixth — Fish,  unknown.  Old  paintings. 
Twenty-seventh — Ducks,  unknown.     Do. 
Twenty-eighth — Landscape  in  water  colors,  by  W. 
G.  Wall. 

Twenty-ninth — A  Magdalen  after  Skalken. — This 
wild  and  haggard  looking  being  is  a  departure  from 


264  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

the  usual  conception  of  artists,  but  the  cave  and  the 
lurid  light  consort  well  with  the  idea  of  a  penitent. 

Thirtieth — The  Repose,  by  W.  Page.  This  lux- 
urious  picture  is  the  antipodes  of  Skalken's  Magda- 
len in  all  its  bearings. 

Mr.  Weir,  at  West  Point,  is  now  painting  a  scene 
from  Irving's  Columbus,  for  Mr.  Ball,  which  will 
probably  add  great  value  to  his  collection.  Our  ar- 
tists will  look  up  with  hope  when  such  a  liberal  ex- 
ample is  imitated  by  men  of  taste.  The  following 
chaste  and  eloquent  remarks  of  Professor  Goddard 
may  appropriately  close  this  sketch  : 

"  It  may  be  well  to  inquire  whether  a  more  ge- 
nerous culture  of  a  taste  for  Liberal  Studies  would 
not  gratefully  temper  the  elements  of  our  present 
social  character,  and  introduce  higher  and  nobler  in- 
terests into  the  whole  of  our  social  life.  Would  it 
not  save  us  from  an  inordinate  admiration  of  the 
least  enviable  distinctions  of  wealth  ?  Would  it  not 
impart  to  our  manners  more  of  variety,  of  grace,  of 
dignity,  and  repose  ;  and  to  our  morals,  a  more  de- 
licate discrimination  and  a  loftier  tone  ? 

"  Liberal  Studies  are  adapted  not  only  to  moderate 
an  extravagant  desire  for  wealth,  but  to  aid  in  es- 
tablishing the  true  principles  upon  which  wealth 
should  be  expended.  In  a  country  like  our  own, 
these  principles,  if  well  understood,  are  apt  to  be 
very  imperfectly  applied.  The  primitive  stages  in 
the  progress  of  refinement  we  have  long  since  passed. 
Leaving  far  in  the  rear  the  cheap  pleasures,  the  simple 
habits,  and  the  unpretending  hospitalities  of  our  fore- 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  265 

fathers,  we  have  engaged,  it  is  to  be  feared,  some- 
what  too  largely,  in  the  career  of  ambitious  splendour 
and  inappropriate  magnificence.  Impelled  too  often 
by  the  unworthy  desire  to  surpass  our  neighbours  in 
some  matter  of  mere  external  embellishment,  we  la- 
vish thousands  in  multiplying  around  ourselves  the 
elements  of  an  elegant  and  selfish  voluptuousness.  I 
am  distressed  by  no  morbid  apprehensions  concerning 
the  progress  of  luxury  in  our  land.  I  am  terrified 
by  no  apparition  of  monopoly.  I  utter  no  response 
to  the  vulture  cry  of  the  Radical,  now  heard  in  the 
distance.  I  am  far  from  thinking  that  the  opulent 
ought  to  diminish  their  expenses.  I  believe  that, 
with  signal  advantage,  they  might  increase  them. 
But,  in  the  selection  of  those  objects  of  embellish, 
ment  which  it  is  in  the  power  alone  of  abundant 
wealth  to  command,  I  am  not  singular  in  contending 
that  the  decisions  of  a  simpler  and  better  taste  ought 
not  to  be  disregarded.  Is  it  not  a  matter  of  just  re- 
proach,  that  of  all  the  apartments  in  our  mansion 
houses,  the  library  is  generally  the  most  obscure, 
and  often  the  most  ill-furnished ;  and  that  the  fash- 
ionable upholsterer  is  allowed  to  absorb  so  much  of 
our  surplus  revenue,  that  hardly  any  is  left  for  the 
painter  and  the  statuary  ?  In  all  this  there  is 
manifested  a  melancholy  disproportion-: — an  imper- 
fect apprehension  of  some  of  the  best  uses  to  which 
wealth  can  be  applied.  In  the  spirit  of  an  austere 
philosophy,  it  is  not  required  that  we  should  dispense 
with  those  costly  ornaments  which  can  boast  no  high- 
er merit  than  their  beauty  ;  but  it  would  be  hailed 
23 


266  NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

as  a  most  benignant  reform,  if,  in  the  arrangements 
of  our  domestic  economy,  there  could  be  traced  a 
more  distinct  recognition  of  the  capacities  and  des- 
tinies of  man  as  an  intellectual  and  moral  being — as 
a  being  endowed  with  Imagination  and  Taste — with 
Reason  and  with  Conscience.  How  few  among  us 
culivate  the  Fine  Arts !  How  few  understand  the 
principles  on  which  they  are  founded — the  sensitve 
part  of  our  nature  to  which  they  are  addressed  !  To 
this  remark,  the  imperfect  knowledge  of  Music,  which, 
in  obedience  to  the  authority  of  fashion,  is  acquired 
at  the  boarding-school,  forms  no  exception.  It  may 
still  be  affirmed,  that  we  have  among  us  no  class 
who' delight  in  Music  as  one  of  their  selectest  plea- 
sures  ;  who  gaze  with  untiring  admiration  upon  the 
miraculous  triumphs  of  Painting  ;  who  are  filled  with 
tranquil  enthusiasm  by  the  passionless  and  unearth- 
ly  beauty  of  Sculpture.  And  is  not  this  to  be  la- 
mented ?  Do  we  not  thus  estrange  ourselves  from 
sources  of  deep  and  quiet  happiness,  to  which  we 
might  often  resort  for  solace,  and  refreshment,  and 
repose  ?  To  these  sources  of  happiness  there  is  no- 
thing in  the  nature  of  our  political  institutions,  or 
of  our  domestic  pursuits,  which  sternly  forbids  an 
approach.  We  have,  it  is  true,  no  titled  aristocracy ; 
and  property  does  not,  as  in  the  land  of  our  forefa- 
thers, accumulate  in  large  masses,  and  descend,  un- 
divided,  through  a  long  line  of  expectant  proprietors. 
But  there  is  scarcely  a  city,  a  town,  or  a  village  in 
this  land,  where  some  could  not  be  found,  blessed 
with  every  requisite  but  the  disposition,  to  acquire 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  267 

a  genuine  relish  for  the  Fine  Arts.  Nay,  more  ;  in 
our  larger  cities,  all  of  which  boast  their  commercial 
prosperity,  and  some  their  Athenian  refinement,  why 
should  not  the  masters  of  the  pencil  and  the  chisel 
be  employed  to  furnish  for  the  private  mansion  those 
precious  decorations,  which  alone  are  secure  from 
the  capricious  despotism  of  fashion  ?  By  thus 
expending  some  portion  of  their  superabundant 
wealth,  the  opulent  would  drink  deeply  of  those 
finer  joys  which  are  perversely  left  unapproached  by 
the  indolent,  the  voluptuous,  and  the  profligate. 
Thus,  too,  would  they  gather  around  themselves  al- 
most inexhaustible  means  of  winning  others  from 
sordid  pursuits,  to  a  contemplation  of  the  imperish- 
able glories  of  Genius  and  of  Art." 


SKETCHES  FROM 

BUNCOMBE,  N.'C. 

BY 

ANNA  MARIA  WELLS. 


23* 


,     . 

: 

BUNCOMBE,  N.  C. 

THE  following  prose  extracts  from  private  letters 
afford  too  interesting  an  addition  to  the  other  effusions 
from  the  same  pen,  to  pass  without  a  record  in  the 
Poetry  of  Travelling.  The  poems  seem  now  like 
pearls  arranged  on  their  appropriate  string. 

I  am  enveloped  in  mountains.  In  no  direction 
can  1  turn  ^without  seeing  them,  piles  on  piles — one 
behind  another,  of  a  fainter  and  fainter  grey  as  they 
vanish  in  the  distance.  We  had  a  thunder-storm 
this  evening.  Never  speak  of  thunder  in  Charleston. 
"Not  from  one  lone  cloud;  but  every  mountain." 
Poor  weak  mortality  must  needs  quail  to  hear  it. 

I  could  not  help  admiring  the  beauty  and  freshness 
of  the  woods,  at  the  early  hour  of  morning,  as 
we  flew  by  them  in  the  car;  and  I  felt  ashamed  of 
being  any  part  or  portion  of  that  noisy  boisterous 
thing,  that  with  such  bustle  and  uproar  was  disturb- 
ing  their  majestic  solitude.  I  was  vexed  at  being 
whisked  by  so  many  beautiful  wild  flowers,  with  a 
mere  glance  at  their  splendid  colour,  and  not  the 
faintest  notion  of  their  form.  We  were  soon  beyond 
all  traces  of  the  Magnolia,  the  beds  of  water  lilies 
were  left  far  behind,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  a  splen- 
did swamp  flower,  which  had  caught  my  eye  by  its 


272      NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

rich  dress  of  scarlet,  bordering  on  crimson.  I  in- 
quired  its  name  ;  but  the  object  was  mistaken  by  my 
neighbour,  who  answered,  "  That  is  the  Magnolia 
Gander  Flower  !  you've  nothin  like  that  at  the  North, 
I  reckon  !"  "  I  guess  we  hav'n't" — I  wanted  to  say, 
but  I  was  afraid  of  getting  too  well  acquainted. 

We  were  hurried  through  our  breakfast  at  Wood- 
stock, yet  so  great  in  mankind  is  that  wicked  organ 
of  destructiveness,  that  we  not  only  stopped,  but  re. 
turned  on  our  way  to  effect  the  destruction  of  an 
Alligator.  All  the  passengers  alighted  to  see  the 
unfortunate  mother  and  her  young  ones  ("  all  my 
pretty  chickens  and  their  dam")  dragged  from  their 
retreat  and  killed.  I  was  very  glad  when  we  arriv- 
ed at  Augusta.  Though  I  had  railed  at  rail-roads 
all  day,  I  began  to  think  it  a  "  ra-al  clever  contriv- 
ance," as  my  new  acquantance  would  have  called 
it,  when  I  rested,  after  a  journey  of  136  miles,  with 
less  fatigue  than  one  of  40  has  often  given  me.  I 
christened  my  fellow-traveller  Jonathan  Wildfire,  he 
reminded  me  so  much  of  Hackett's  celebrated  repre- 
sentation, the  truth  of  which,  but  for  him,  I  should 
never  have  known. 

We  left  Edgefield  the  third  morning  at  dawn  of 
day,  and  such  a  stage  as  we  were  packed  in !  "  This 
ere  stage  has  had  a  heap  of  upsets  I  reckon,"  said 
Jonathan,  pointing  out  the  various  broken  and  mend- 
ed places,  "  no  small  number  any  how  !"  There  was 
no  help  for  it — the  roads  before  us  were  the  worst 
on  the  route,  and  at  such  a  break-neck  rate  as  we 
drove  !  Up  hill  and  down — horses  at  full  gallop,  and 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     273 

coachman  whipping  them  on — stumps  and  stones  in 
the  way,  and  a  broken  carriage  to  boot.  On  we 
went — 

"  We  stopped  not  for  break,  and  we  stopped  not  for  stone, 
And  \ve  dashed  thro'  the  rivers  where  bridge  there  was  none." 

I  could  not  help  contrasting,  in  this  situation,  the 
Northern  and  Southern  character.  Crossing  the 
mountains  in  Vermont,  I  have  observed,  how  the 
passengers  would  all  spring  to  one  side,  to  preserve 
the  balance  and  prevent  an  overturn  ;  how  they 
would  get  out  and  walk  at  dangerous  places,  and 
how  the  coachman  would  hold  in  his  reins  in'  going 
down  hill,  and  even  chain  the  wheels — while  here, 
all  is  neck  or  nothing — driver  and  passengers — all 
seem  reckless  of  danger,  and  so  infectious  is  the  spi. 
rit,  that  even  I,  with  all  my  constitutional  timidity, 
began  to  feel  as  if  my  neck  might  be  broken  to  be 
sure,  but  that  it  might  be  mended  somehow.  The 
only  indication  of  caution  that  I  noticed  was  in  Jo- 
nathan  himself,  who,  after  riding  one  morning  on 
the  box,  came  suddenly,  feet  first,  through  the  car- 
riage window,  exclaiming,  "  I'm  no  way  particular, 
but  I  can't  keep  my  seat  with  that  ere  fellow  any  long, 
er ;  he's  as  bad  a  hand  at  his  trade  as  ever  I  see." 
"  I'll  pester  ye  for  a  little  of  that  water,"  said  he,  as 
the  driver  stopped  to  water  his  horse  at  a  brook.  "  Its 
powerful  bad  water,  but  (with  a  grin)  not  worse  than 
your  drivin  I  recon."  "  Well,  the  truth  ont  is," 
said  the  driver,  "  I  never  was  no  sort  of  a  hand  at 
steerin,  but  my  team  is  mortal  feard  on  me,  any  how." 


274  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

With  this  candid  and  comforting  confession,  we 
were  obliged  to  content  ourselves  till  the  next  stage, 
when,  to  my  great  relief,  we  changed  driver,  carriage 
and  horses,  and  arrived  here  safely. 

*  *  *  *  *          .* 

L proposed  a  ride  on  horseback  this  afternoon, 

and  we  followed  a  winding  path  through  the  woods, 
which  suddenly  brought  us  before  a  little  building, 
formed,  in  the  usual  manner,  of  rough  logs,  and  stand- 
ing  in  the  middle  of  a  small  cleared  spot,  surround- 
ed by  the  lofty  trees  and  thick  under-brush  of  the 
forest. 

"  If  is  a  church,"  said  L ;  "  the  country  peo- 
ple assemble  here  every  other  Sabtfath,  and  when 
the  weather  is  fine,  the  services  are  performed  in 
the  open  air ;  but  otherwise,  within  the  building." 

I  was  ready  to  smile  at  its  rudeness  and  insigni- 
ficance, but  a  sudden  feeling  of  a^  oame  over  me  : 
I  remembered  it  was  God's  .Temple,  and  that  the  glow 
of  devotion  might  be  kindled  as  warmly  here  as  at  a 
prouder  shrine.  Amid  the  stillness,  the  beauty, 
and  grandeur  of  such  scenery,  the  presence  of  the 
Deity  must  be  deeply,  strongly  felt. 

My  horse's  foot  stumbled  over  some  obstruction. 
I  looked — it  was  a  decayed  wooden  tomb-stone. 
I  gazed  around,  and  for  the  first  time  discovered 
that  I  was  within  the  sacred  pecincts  of  the  dead. 
Some  few  of  the  graves  were  surrounded  with  little 
wooden  palings,  but  most  of  them  were  open  to  the 
passing  footstep. 

How  peacefully  they  sleep  here,  thought  I.     No 


NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  275 

sound  to  disturb  the  deep  repose,  but  the  gentle  stir- 
ring  of  the  leaves,  the  plaintive  moan  of  the  wood 
pigeon,  or  occasionally  the  hymn  of  devotion,  arising 
from  that  consecrated  building. 

As  we  returned  by  a  little  broken  by-path,  we 
passed  two  superb  azalias.  What  a  contrast  was 
their  vigour,  and  beauty,  and  freshness  to  the  train 
of  thought  I  had  been  pursuing!  My  feelings  re- 
solved themselves  into  the  following  strain  : 

THE  MOUNTAIN  CHURCH. 

As  one  without  a  friend,  one  summer  eve 
I  walked  among  the  solemn  woods  alone. 
The  boughs  hung  lovely,  and  the  gentle  winds 
Whispered  a  song  monotonous  and  low, 
That  soothed  my  mind  even  while  it  made  me  sad. 

The  path  I  followed,  by  a  turn  abrupt, 
Brought  me  to  stand  beside  that  humble  roof, 
Where  the  few  scattered  families  that  dwell 
Among  these  mountains  and  deep  forest  shades 
Meet  weekly,  to  uplift  the  soul  in  prayer. 
A  few  rude  logs  up-piled  were  all  the  walls, — 
There  were  four  windows  and  a  door,  not  e'en 
Adorn'd  with  rudest  art ;  and  in  the  midst 
A  pulpit, — cushioned  not,  nor  overhung 
With  crimson  folds  of  fringed  drapery, 
Nor  graced  with  gilded  volumes  richly  bound. 
Amid  the  mountain  pines  the  low  roof  stood, 
And  mountain  hands  had  reared  it;  but  it  wore 
An  air  of  reverence. 

Few  paces  onward, 

O'ershadowed  more  by  the  green  underwood, 
Some  slight  raised  mounds  showed  where  the  dead 

were  laid. 
No  gravestone  told  who  slept  beneath  the  turf. 


276  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

(Perchance  the  heart  that  deeply  mourns,  needs  not 

Such  poor  remembrancer.)     The  forest  flowers 

Themselves  had  fondly  clustered  there,— and  white 

Azalias  with  sweet  breath  stood  round  about, 

Like  fair  young  maidens  mourning  o'er  their  dead. 

In  some  sweet  solitude  like  this  I  would 

That  I  might  sleep  my'last  long  dreamless  sleep ! 

Oh  quiet  resting  place !  Divine  repose  ! 

Let  not  my  voice,  I  whispered,  oh  let  not 

My  heedless  step  profane  thy  sanctity  ! 

Still  shall  sweet  summer  smiling,  linger  here,  „ 

And  wasteful  winter  lightly  o'er  thee  pass ; 

Bright  dews  of  morning  jewel  thee  !  and  all     _ 

The  silent  stars  watch  over  thee  at  night ; 

The  mountains  clasp  thee  lovingly  within 

Their  giant  arms,  and  ever  round  thee  bow 

The  everlasting  forests  ;  for  thou  art 

In  thy  simplicity  a  holy  spot 

And  not  unmeet  for  heavenly  worshipper. 

****** 

In  our  ride  this  afternoon  we  passed  along  the 
banks  of  Cooper's  Creek,  a  miserable  little,  muddy, 
sluggish  stream,  which  nevertheless  awakened  a  feel- 

ing  of  interest  when  Mr. said,  "  Do  you  know 

these  are  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi,?" 

Through  the  woods  our  road  was  narrow  and 
winding,  and  the  boughs  came  so  closely  together 
from  either  side,  that  we  lost  sight  of  each  other  con- 
tinually,  and  were  obliged  to  bend  quite  down  to  avoid 
being  knocked  off  our  saddles  as  we  passed  under 
the  hanging  branches.  There  was  excitement  and 
pleasure  in  it,  and,  more  than  all — health  ! 

We  rode  to  the  summit  of  a  hill  to  see  the  sun  set 
behind  the  mountains  :  it  was  misty,  however,  in  the 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  277 

distance,  and  the  Day-God  departed  not  with  his 
usual  splendour.  How  well  are  these  heights  named 
the  BLUE  RIDGE  !  Their  colour  is  beautiful :  the 
more  distant  ones  to-night  were  almost  of  the  hue 
of  the  violet ;  and  along  their  bold  outlines  was  a 
continuous  thread  of  light  that  looked  like  a  golden 
rim  crowning  their  majestic  heads.  Mount  Pisgah 
seemed  to  tower  higher  than  ever,  though  S de- 
clares that  "  none  of  these  mountains  are  as  high  as 
they  were  eight  years  ago  !" 

We  returned  home  slowly ;  there  was  a  quiet  solem- 
nity in  the  twilight  that  sobered  us  all.     Even  little 

A hushed  her  song  and  her  prattle  as  it  grew  dark, 

and  seemed  to  feel  with  me  how  deep  was  the  power 
of  solitude.  The  mountains  seemed  to  be  closing  us 
in.  The  trees  whispered  to  us  as  we  passed  by  them, 
and  the  whippoorwill  sang  unanswered.  Silence  was 
about  us  and  in  our  hearts,  and  I  went  to  my  own 
room  and  wrote  the  following  stanzas,  under  impres- 
sions of  melancholy  that  I  like  not  often  to  indulge 


TO  THE  WHIPPOORWILL. 

The  shades  of  eve  are  gathering  slowly  round, 
And  silence  hangs  o'er  meadow,  grove,  and  hill, 

Save  one  lone  voice,  that,  with  continuous  sound, 
Calls  thro'  the  deep'ning  twilight —  Whippoorwill. 

Faintly  is  heard  the  whispering  mountain  breeze  ; 

Faintly  the  rushing  brook  that  turn'd  the  mill : 
Hush'd  is  the  song  of  birds — the  hum  of  bees ; — 

The  hour  is  all  thine  own,  sad  Whippoorwill! 
24 


278  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION. 

No  more  the  woodman's  axe  is  heard  to  fall : 
No  more  the  ploughman  sings  with  rustic  skill. 

As  if  earth's  echoes  woke  no  other  call, 
Again,  and  yet  again,  comes  Whippoorwill ! 

Alas  !  enough ;  before,  my  heart  was  sad  ; 

Sweet  bird  !  thou  makest  it  sadder,  sadder  still. 
Enough  of  mourning  has  my  spirit  had ; 

I  would  not  hear  thee  mourn,  poor  Whippoorwill. 

Thoughts  of  my  distant  home  upon  me  press, 
And  thronging  doubts,  and  fears  of  coming  ill ; 

My  lone  heart  feels  a  deeper  loneliness, 
Touch'd  with  that  plaintive  burthen —  WMppoorwiL. 

Sing  to  the  village  lass,  whose  happy  home 

Lies  in  yon  quiet  vale,  behind  the  hill ; 
But,  doom'd  far,  far  from  all  I  love  to  roam, 

Sing  not  to  me,  oh  gentle  Whippoorwill. 

Lov'd  ones !  my  children  !  Ah,  they  cannot  hear 
My  voice  that  calls  to  them !     An  answer  shrill, 

A  shrill,  unconscious  answer  rises  near, 
Repeating,  still  repeating,  Whippoorwill ! 

Another  name  my  lips  would  breathe ; — but  then 
Such  tender  memories  all  my  bosom  fill, 

Back  to  my  sorrowing  breast  it  sinks  again ! 

Hush,  or  thou'lt  break  my  heart,  sad  Whippoorwill. 
****** 

The  face  of  nature  is  beginning  to  change  ;  the 
foliage  of  the  mountains  is  already  touched  with 
orange,  crimson,  and  brown  ;  and  the  meadow-pinks 
and  honeysuckles  and  azalias,  which  have  made  the 
woods  so  beautiful  all  summer,  are  beginning  to  give 
way  to  the  various  shades  of  blue,  purple,  and  yellow, 
that  seem  to  be  the  prevailing  colours  of  the  autumn. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  279 

al  flowers.  Now,  too,  for  the  first  time,  I  see  the  li- 
lies of  the  field  "  and  how  they  grow," — the  woods 
are  full  of  them,  arrayed  in  gold  and  scarlet,  with 
spots  and  streaks  of  the  darkest  crimson,  and  bending 
close  to  the  earth,  as  if  to  hide  their  glory.  I  had 
seen  them  before  in  our  gardens  at  the  North,  but 
here,  in  their  wild  state,  they  assume  a  different 
character.  The  scenery  along  the  banks  of  the 
French  Broad  is  very  lovely ;  but  my  feelings  have 
been  most  excited  and  elevated  by  views  from  the 
summits  of  the  high  mountains.  I  am  astonished  to 
find  myself  so  embosomed  among  them.  As  I  look 
down  and  afar  off*  for  miles  and  miles  distant,  still 
they  are  rising,  wave  on  wave,  blue  and  misty  like 
those  of  the  ocean,  and  giving  me  the  sensation  of 
dizziness  which  we  feel  at  sea.  Below  me,  as  I 
stand  upon  these  giddy  heights,  lie  the  everlasting 
forests,  with  here  "and  there  a  cleared  spot,  in  the 
midst  of  which  I  can  discern  the  tiny  farm-houses 
and  the  long  winding  mazes  of  the  French  Broad, 
twining  like  a  silver  thread  among  the  harvest  fields. 
The  air  on  these  mountains  is  so  bracing  and  sweet, 
as  amply  to  repay  the  heat  and  fatigue  of  the  ascent. 
The  following  lines  will  tell  the  rest : 

LET  US  GO  TO  THE  WOODS. 

Let  us  go  to  the  woods — 'tis  a  bright  sunny  day : 
They  are  mowing  the  grass,  and  at  work  with  the  hay. 
Come  over  the  meadow  and  scent  the  fresh  air, 
For  the  pure  mountain  breezes  are  every  where. 
We'll  follow  this  winding  path  up  to  the  hills, 
And  spring  with  a  lightsome  foot  over  the  rills. 


280      NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Up — up — it  grows  sweeter  the  higher  we  get, 

With  the  flowers  of  the  season  that  linger  here  yet; 

Nay — pause  not  to  gaze  at  the  landscape  now ; 

It  is  finer  when  seen  from  the  high  hill's  brow. 

We  will  gather  all  curious  flowers  as  we  go ; 

The  sweet  and  the  scentless,  and  those  that  bend  low  ; 

The  pale  and  the  gaudy,  the  tiny,  the  tail, 

From  the  vine,  from  the  shrub,  we  will  gather  them  all. 

Now  here's  the  clematis  all  graceful  and  fair ; 

You  may  set  it  like  pearls  in  the  folds  of  your  hair. 

And  if  for  your  bosom  you'd  have  a  bouquet, 

Here's  the  Meadow-pink,  sweet,  and  the  Touch-me-not  gay. 

Here's  the  full-blown  Azalia,  perfuming  the  air, 

Here's  the  Cardinal-flower,  that  a  princess  might  wear. 

And  the  wild  mountain  Phlox,  pink  and  purple  and  blue, 

And  Star-flowers,  both  white  and  of  golden  hue. 

And  here's  a  bright  blossom,  a  gay  one  indeed, 

Our  mountain-maids  name  it  the  Butterfly-weed. 

So  gorgeous  its  colours,  one  scarcely  can  tell 

If  the  flower  or  the  insect  in  beauty  excel. 

Here's  the  low  dwarf  Acacia,  that  droops  as  it  grows, 
And  its  leaves,  as  you  gather  them,  tremble  and  close. 
And  near  us,  I  know  by  her  breath  on  the  gale, 
Is  the  tall  yellow  Primrose  so  pretty  and  pale. 

Here's  the  Pigeon-Pea,  fit  for  a  fairy's  bowers, — 
And  the  purple  Thrift,  straightest  and  primmest  of  flowers. 
Here  is  Privet  -,  no  prettier  shrub  have  we  met, 
And  the  Midsummer  Daisy  is  hiding  here  yet. 

But  stay — We  are  now  on  the  high  hill's  brow ! 

How  bright  lie  the  fields  in  the  sun  light  below ! 

Do  you  see  those  white  chimneys  that  peep  o'er  the  grove  7 

'Tis  you  own  little  cottage,  the  home  that  you  love — 

Let  us  go  by  the  fields  where  the  chinquapins  are, 

And  through  the  long  lane  where  the  Chesnuts  hang  fair, 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      281 

They  are  scarcely  yet  ripe,  but  their  tender  green 
Looks  lovely  the  dark  clustering  foliage  between : — 
And  we'll  stop  at  the  nest  that  we  found  in  the  wood, 
And  see  if  the  black-bird  hath  flown  with  her  brood  : 
And  we'll  list  to  the  mocking-bird,  wondering  thereat, 
Till  he  pauses,  as  if  to  ask  '  who  can  do  that  1 ' 
We  will  listen  and  gaze ;  for  the  lowliest  thing 
Some  lesson  of  worth  to  the  mind  can  bring. 
If  we  read  nature's  book  with  a  serious  eye, 
Not  a  leaf,  but  some  precious  thought  on  it  doth  lie : 
And  'tis"  good  to  go  forth  among  scenes  like  these, 
Amid  music  and  sunshine,  and  flowers  and  trees, 
If 'twere  only  to  waken  the  deep  love  that  springs 
At  the  sight  of  all  lovely  and  innocent  things. 

MOUNTAIN  LODGE. 

We  arrived  here  yesterday -about  sunset.  The 
evening  was  gloomy  and  wet,  but  even  storms  can- 
not quite  obscure  the  beauty  of  this  place  ;  and  this 
morning  the  sun  has  come  forth  again — 

"  Laughing  the  clouds  away  as  if  in  scorn." 

The  house  stands  unusually  high,  and  never  did 
my  eye  rest  upon  a  more  lovely  scene  than  that 
which  lay  outstretched  before  me  when  I  threw  up 
the  chamber  window.  The  mists  were  just  curling 
down  the  sides  of  the  distant  mountains  ;  and  the 
wide  extent  of  forest  which  lies  beneath  them,  seemed 
in  the  distance  more  like  fields  of  verdure  than  the 
disconnected  foliage  of  lofty  trees.  Within  this  green 
amphitheatre  my  eye  reposes  upon  sunny  hills  and 
cultivated  plains.  In  yonder  dewy  pastures  I  see 
the  quiet  sheep,  and  hear  their  pleasant  bleating  min- 
24* 


282  KOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

gling  with  the  incessant  warbling  of  the  birds.  To 
the  left  lies  the  little  field  of  the  Turkey-minder ;  and 
there,  these  two  hours,  has  stood  the  untiring  girl, 
beneath  the  spreading  oak,  with  her  feathered  flock 
about  her,  by  no  means  the  least  striking  object 
in  the  picture.  Just  beside  this  pretty  rural  group 
stands  a  grove  of  maples,  and  beyond  them  lies  the 
artificial  lake,  which  Mrs.  — : — ,  with  her  unrivalled 
energy,  has  brought  up  to  increase  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  the  scene,  and  supply  its  only  deficiency. 
Further  to  the  right,  seen  through  an  opening  in 
the  trees,  stands  the  little  Gothic  church,  the  result 
of  the  same  creative  taste  and  liberal  spirit ;  and 
within  all  this  are  the  large  and  richly  cultivated 
gardens  immediately  surrounding  the  house,  where 
no  weeds  are  permitted  to  encumber  the  rich  and  va- 
ried parterre,  where  the  shaven  turf  seems  tempting 
the  feet  to  try  its  softness.  Yellow  butterflies  are 
chasing  each  other  from  bank  to  bower ;  and  the  de- 
licious fragrance  of  the  sweet-briar,  the  mignionette, 
and  the  honey-suckle,  are  rising  up  like  incense. 
Yonder  pathway  leads  to  the  little  vine-shaded  stone 
dairy-house,  at  the  door  of  which  a  fountain,  sur- 
rounded by  shells,  throws  out  incessantly  its  fresh 
and  sparkling  waters ;  and  that  other  winds  up  the  hill 
behind  itr  whither,  with  all  expedition,  I  mean  now  to 
follow,  that  I  may  have  one  wide  look  over  the  whole 
landscape  before  the  sun  steals  away  all  its  jewelry. 
Well !  and  what  effect  had  the  Buncombe  scenery 
upon  your  mind  ?  you  may  ask. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     283 

Like  almost  every  thing  else  I  have  seen  since  I  left 
New  England,  it  served  only  to  bear  me  home,  and 
leave  my  thoughts  where  my  heart  is  : 

SONG. 

New-England,  New-England,  my  home  o'er  the  sea  f 
My  heart,  as  I  wander,  turns  fondly  to  thee  ; 
For  bright  rests  the  sun  on  thy  clear  winding  streams, 
And  soft  o'er  thy  meadows  the  moon  pours  her  beams. 

New-England,  New-England,  my  home  o'er  the  sea  ! 

The  wanderer's  heart  turns  in  fondness  to  thee. 

Thy  breezes  are  healthful,  and  clear  are  thy  rills, 
And  the  harvest  waves  proudly  and  rich  on  thy  hills. 
Thy  maidens  are  fair,  and  thy  yeomen  are  strong, 
And  thy  rivers  run  blithely  thy  valleys  among. 

New-England,  New-England,  my  home  o'er  the  sea  ! 

The  wanderer's  heart  turns  in  fondness  to  thee. 

There's  home  in  New-England,  where  dear  ones  of  mine 
Are  thinking  of  me  and  the  days  of  lang  syne, 
And  blest  be  the  hour  when,  my  pilgrimage  o'er, 
I  shall  sit  by  that  hearth-stone  and  leave  it  no  more. 

New-England,  New-England,  my  home  o'er  the  sea  ! 

My  heart,  as  I  wander,  turns  fondly  to  thee. 


. 


LETTERS  FROM  GEORGIA 

THE 

GOLD   MINES. 


- 


LETTERS  FROM  GEORGIA. 

The  Gold  Mines. 

C.  H.  Geo.  Jan.  1835. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND. 

You  ask  me  for  a  more  particular  account  of  the 
visit  I  made  two  years  since  to  the  Georgia  Gold 
Region.  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  interesting  novel 
of  "  Guy  Rivers"  should  have  awakened  your  curio- 
sity to  know  more  of  the  remarkable  tract  of  coun. 
try  in  which  its  scene  is  laid.  I  hasten  to  gratify 
your  wish,  so  far  as  may  be  at  present  in  my  power  ; 
and  promise  as  faithful  a  description  as  my  memory 
will  enable  me  to  give. 

I  first  entered  the  Northern  part  of  Georgia,  not, 
like  the  hero  of  "  Guy  Rivers,"  on  horseback,  with 
pistols  at  my  saddle-bow,  though  I  have  no  doubt 
the  description  of  young  Colleton's  equipage  accu- 
rately delineates  that  of  many  travellers  in  that  sec- 
tion. I  however  came  more  peaceably  along,  in  a 
clumsy  stage,  rumbling  and  jolting  over  intolerable 
roads.  Both  roads  and  stages,  I  presume,  have  since 
improved.  From  Athens,  the  seat  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity, where  I  had  attended  a  very  creditable  Com. 
mencement,  I  directed  my  course  towards  Clarks- 


283  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ville.     This  village,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Haber- 
sham  County,  is  beautifully  situated,  in  a  most  health- 
ful  and  temperate  region,  near  the  mountains,  whose 
blue  summits  rise  in  full  view  around  it.  "  The  vil- 
lage itself  is  very  pretty,  with  numerous  well-built 
frame  houses,  and  a  brick  court-house  in  the  middle 
of  its  square,  according  to  the  invariable  plan  of 
county  towns  in  Georgia.     I  arrived  about  noon  on 
Sunday,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  attending  ser- 
vice in  a  building,  comfortable  and  neat,  though  plain, 
belonging,  I  believe,  to  the  Methodist  denomination, 
though  on  this  occasion  its  pulpit  was  occupied  by 
a  clergyman  of  other  sentiments.     The  next  morn, 
ing  found  me  on  my  way  to  the  mines,  on  horseback, 
and  in  agreeable  company.     We  crossed  the  beau- 
tiful valley  of  Naucoochy,  a  spot  which  had  been 
under  cultivation  long  before  the  whites  became  pos- 
sessors of  the  soil,  and  probably  even  before  it  was 
occupied  by  the  Cherokees.-    A  small  conical  hill 
was  pointed  out  to  me,  rising  from  the  level  of  the 
valley,  and  supposed,  with  great  probability,  to  be  a 
work  of  art,  and  to  contain  the  bones  of  some  Indians 
of  an  earlier  race.     In  another  portion  of  this  val- 
ley, the  miners,  last  summer,  while  digging  for  gold, 
encountered  beneath  the  soil  unexpected  vestiges  of 
the  hand  of  man.     They  disinterred  a  number  ot 
huts,  constructed  in  the  usual  manner  of  log-houses, 
but  with  the  remarkable  circumstance  that  they  were 
without  doors  or  windows.     These  apertures  are,  in 
building  log-huts,  generally  sawn  out  after  the  logs 
have  been  secured  in  their  places  ;  so  the  natural 


NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  289 

conclusion  is,  that  this  cantonment,  commenced  by 
some  party,  was,  from  some  cause  unknown,  hastily 
abandoned  before  it  was  completed.  But  who  were 
the  builders?  The  most  probable  conjecture,  per- 
haps,  is  that  they  were  Spaniards,  by  whom,  it  is  well 
known,  under  the  command  of  De  Soto  and  others, 
Georgia  was  partially  explored. 

After  being  deserted  by  their  builders,  it  seems 
probable  that  these  half-finished  huts  were  for  a  time 
under  water,  'and  that  Naucoochy  valley  was  tern- 
porarily  a  lake,  among  the  accumulating  alluvium  of 
which  the  huts  were  at  last  buried.  The  lake 
at  length  forced  its  way  through  its  bank,  and  left, 
as  at  present,  the  valley  intersected  by  a  small 
stream. 

But  I  must  leave  Naucoochy,  and  turning  to  the 
left,  cross  a  branch  of  the  Chatahoochee,  and  make 
my  way  along  the  side  of  Mount  Yonah, — now  no 
longer  inhabited  by  the  bears  from  which  it  derives 
its  name.*  It  was  my  object  to  spend  a  few  days 
with  a  friend  who  had  made  his  home  in  this  region  ; 
and  with  him  and  his  acquaintances  I  learned  that 
warm  hearts  and  cultivated  minds  can  live  in  log 
cabins  and  deal  in  gold.  It  was  not  long  after  ar- 
riving at  my  place  of  destination,  before  I  walked 
forth  to  visit  a  gold  mine.  The  first  which  I  saw 
was  one  of  the  alluvial  or  deposite  mines.  These  are 
found  along  the  banks  of  the  rivulets  or  "  branches," 
and  the  gold  is, separated  by  the  simple  process  of 

*  Yonah,  in  Cherokee,  signifies  bear. 
25 


290  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

washing.  For  my  gratification,  a  workman  went 
through  this  process  in  its  simplest  form,  that  of 
"  panning."  This  is  merely  to  fill  an  iron  pan  with 
the  gravel  among  which  the  gold  is  found,  and  to 
stir  the  pan  about  with  the  hands  for  some  time,  under 
water,  throwing  out  the  gravel  from  time  to  time. 
The  metal,  by  this  process,  sinks  to  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel,  and  the  workman  comes  to  you  at  last  with 
nothing  in  his  pan  visible  at  first  sight  except  a  lit- 
tle black  sand.  On  narrowly  inspecting,  this  sand, 
however,  you  discover  here  and  there  a  bright  yel. 
low  speck,  which  is  pure  gold. 

This  process  of  panning  is  of  course  slow  and  la- 
borious; very  little  of  the  gravel  can  thus  be  wash- 
ed at  a  time.  But  in  this  manner  the  gold-diggers 
at  first  laboured,  and  it  is  thus  that  you  may  suppose 
Guy  Rivers,  Forester,  and  their  companions,  to  have 
been  employed.  To  expedite  the  business,  however, 
a  machine  is  now  commonly  used,  called  a  rocker. 
One  of  these  machines  finds  employment  for  ten  or 
twelve  men,  who  are  commonly  negroes.  You  see 
three  or  four  at  work  in  digging  out  the  gravel,  which 
lies  commonly  about  two  feet  below  the  surface,  and 
composes,  itself,  a  stratum  of  the  same  thickness. 
Two  or  three  are  employed  in  carrying  the  gravel  in 
wheelbarrows  to  the  rocker.  One  is  occupied  in 
shovelling  it  from  the  barrows  to  the  machine,  others 
keep  the  machine  in  motion,  and  another,  with  a  large 
rake,  distributes  the  gravel  over"  its  surface.  The 
upper  part  of  the  rocker  is  like  a  very  coarse  sieve, 
and  the  gravel  being  thrown  on  it,  and  washed  with 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  291 

water  from  the  stream,  which  continually  runs  upon 
it,  the  smaller  particles,  among  which  is  the  gold, 
fall  through  the  sieve  into  a  box,  where  they  are  still 
further  washed  until  the  water  runs  out.  This  low- 
er box  contains  a  quantity  of  quicksilver,  which,  as 
you  well  know,  attracts  other  metals  and  combines 
with  them.  This  quicksilver  therefore  seizes  the 
small  particles  of  gold  from  among  the  sand  and 
water  with  which  it  is  still  mingled  ;  and  at  night 
the  owner  of  the  mine  finds  in  his  machine  a  mass 
of  amalgamated  quicksilver  and  gold.  He  may  then 
have  the  metal  in  a  pure  state  by  exposing  the  whole 
to  a  strong  heat. 

But  it  is  time  for  me  to  close  this  letter.  At  ano- 
ther opportunity  I  will  continue  the  subject,  and  may 
perhaps  in  future  attempt  to  describe  something  of 
a  different  character  from  gold  mines, — the  noble 
works  of  nature,  which  I  witnessed  in  all  their  primi- 
tive wildness,  amidst  the  deep  forests  of  my  adopt- 
ed  state.  Till  then  adieu. 

S.  G.  B. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

According  to  promise,  I  proceed  with  the  history 
of  my  first  excursion  to  the  northern  part  of  this 
State.  At  the  conclusion  of  my  last,  you  recollect 
I  had  just  visited  a  deposite  or  surface  mine,  and 
witnessed  the  process  of  separating  the  gold  from  its 
accompanying  gravel.  By  far  the  greater  number 
of  mines  at  present  wrought  in  Georgia  are  of  this 
description  :  since  the  hill  or  vein  mines,  though 
richer  in  the  precious  metal,  require  more  machine. 


292     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ry  than  most  gold  seekers  can  command.  In  these 
latter,  the  metal  exists  not  interspersed  among  gra- 
vel, but  deeply  imbedded  in  rock ;  and  in  order  to  ob- 
tain it,  the  rock  must  be  broken  out  and  reduced  to 
powder  before  the  process  of  washing  can  be  com- 
menced. I  have  not  yet  seen  any  works  in  full 
operation  for  the  performance  of  this  process.  I  vi- 
sited, however,  a  few  days  after  the  time  mentioned 
in  my  last,  a  lot  where  extensive  and  very  costly  pre- 
parations were  making  for  the  purpose.  A  small  hill 
had  been  pierced  with  holes  from  above,  and  in  va- 
rious directions  around  its  base,  till  it  looked  like  a 
colander ;  but  this  part  of  the  work  had  been  aban- 
doned for  another  attempt. 

I  entered  one  of  the  openings,  with  a  guide  who 
carried  a  torch.  On  each  side  of  me  were  deep  pits, 
full  to  the  top  with  water.  Quantities  of  rock,  how- 
ever, had  been  cut  out,  from  which  perhaps,  before 
this,  gold  had  been  procured.  The  workmen  were 
at  the  time  engaged  on  another  and  larger  opening, 
— a  shaft,  about  twelve  feet  square,  and,  at  the  time 
I  saw  it,  perhaps  forty  feet  deep.  This  was  half  full 
of  water,  which  the  "  hands"  were  baling  out  by  the 
barrel-full,  with  the  aid  of  machinery.  I  was  told 
that  the  owner  expected  to  penetrate  about  a  hun- 
dred feet  deeper  before  he  touched  the  wealthy  vein, 
but  that  when  that  had  been  reached,  its  profits 
would  be  incalculable. 

When  I  looked  into  the  yawning  gulf  before  me, 
where  the  flow  of  water  suspended  the  possibility  of 
further  excavation,  I  did  not  envy  him  his  pros. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      293 

pect.  The  same  morning  I  visited  a  rich  deposite 
mine,  belonging  to  the  same  gentleman.  Here  I 
was  shown  some  very  beautiful  and  valuable  speci- 
mens of  virgin  gold,  by  which  term  the  metal  is  de- 
signated when  found  pure,  and  in  pieces  of  sufficient 
size  to  secure  it  without  the  use  of  quicksilver.  A 
steam  machine  had  been  erected  here,  for  effecting 
more  rapidly  the  process  of  washing ;  but  it  had 
been  found  on  trial,  inferior  to  the  rockers,  and  it 
now  lay  useless  and  motionless,  like  the  carcase  of  a 
slain  mammoth. 

Another  method  of  obtaining  gold  has  been  resort- 
ed  to  by  some  enterprising  men.  This  is,  to  search, 
for  the  precious  metal,  the  sands  of  the  rivers  and 
smaller  streams.  In  some  instances  the  course  of 
the  water  has  been  turned,  and  its  ancient  channel 
laid  bare  to  the  eye  of  industry ;  elsewhere  machines 
are  employed  to  draw  up  from  the  bottom  of  the 
river  the  precious  deposite.  The  Chestatee  and 
Cane  Creek  especially  appear  to  rival  the  ancient 
Pactolus,  to  which,  according  to  the  fable,  king  Midas, 
by  bathing  in  its  waters,  imparted  his  own  power  of 
making  gold.  I  hope  Georgia  is  not  destined  to  ex- 
emplify in  some  other  respects  the  truth  of  that 
most  ingenious  and  instructive  fiction.^  May  she 
never,  like  Midas,  find  her  wealth  a  curse,  and,  los- 
ing the  habits  of  regular  productive  industry,  starve 
in  the  midst  of  uncounted  riches,  like  the  unhappy 
king  who  could  not  touch  an  article  of  food  without 
turning  it  into  gold. 

The  danger,  however,  which  existed,  of  such  a  re- 
25* 


294  NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

suit,  is,  I  trust,  decreasing.  The  mode  adopted  by 
Georgia,  of  disposing  of  the  lately  acquired  territory 
by  lottery,  gave,  it  is  to  be  feared,  too  great  encou- 
ragement to  unprincipled  speculators ;  and  among 
the  population  who  first  crowded  in  upon  that  re- 
gion, there  were  many  who  would  scarcely  have 
been  tolerated  any  where  else.  With  them,  however, 
were  others  of  correct  principles  and  unexception- 
able conduct ;  and  as  the  wildness  of  a  new  settle- 
ment gradually  wears  away,  the  Gold  Region  as- 
sumes and  maintains  more  and  more  the  aspect  of 
an  orderly,  moral,  and  religious  community.  The 
first  excitement  which  attended  the  discovery  of  the 
metallic  treasures  in  our  country  has  worn  off;  and 
it  is  perceived,  that  with  a  few  remarkable  exceptions 
both  on  the  favorable  and  on  the  unfavorable  side, 
gold-mining  is  like  any  other  form  of  honest  labour  ; 
he  who  works  hard,  may  expect  moderate  prosperity  ; 
he  who  is  idle,  will  fail  of  success.  I  may  add,  how- 
ever, that  to  the  lover  of  nature  the  view  is  more 
agreeable,  of  a  field  of  waving  grain  or  flowering 
cotton,  than  of  turbid  streams,  muddy  ditches,  and 
exhausted,  squalid,  and  sickly  negroes.  Whatever 
evils,  however,  attend  this  branch  of  industry,  will 
gradually  give  way.  The  deposite  mines  will,  before 
many  years,  be  exhausted  ;  a;nd  in  the  vein  mines, 
which  may  be  regarded  as  the  permanent  wealth  of 
that  section,  the  use  of  machinery  will  probably  su- 
persede the  cause  which  renders  mining  at  present 
unhealthy.  This  cause  I  consider  to  be  the  neces- 
sity of  working  much  in  water.  But  the  miners 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  295 

have  at  present  a  free  circulation  of  air  and  a  fine 
climate.  They  are  not  pent  up  within  the  walls  of  a 
factory,  nor  are  they  exposed  to  the  dangerous  va- 
pours of  a  level  soil.  Thus  Providence  apportions 
among  different  climes  and  occupations  the  advan- 
tages and  disadvantages  of  life.  1  will  not  tire  you 
with  longer  reflections,  but  promising  soon  to  repeat 
my  communications,  remain  affectionately  yours, 

S.  G.  B. 

TALLULAH  FALLS. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

Mount  that  steed  which  imagination  will  bridle 
and  saddle  for  you  in  a  moment,  and  clearing  at  a 
bound  a  few  hundred  miles  of  sand  and  pine-trees, 
join  me,  as  1  am  about  to  set  out  from  our  friend 
V — ~—'s  log-hut,  for  a  ramble  among  the  hills. 
Little  need  be  said  of  our  losing  our  way.  We 
cross-questioned  every  stupid  boy  and  deaf  old  wo- 
man to  know  whether  we  were  going  right  or  wrong. 
Those  whom  we  addressed  had  generally  "  hear'n 
tell  of  Terrora  Falls  ;"  but  here  their  knowledge  ter- 
minated, though  the  remarkable  scene  of  which  we 
were  in  search  was  but  a  few  miles  from  them,  and 
constantly  visited  by  travellers  from  every  section 
of  the  State.  After  going  twice  as  far  as  we  need- 
ed,  we  at  length  found  ourselves  near  the  object  of 
our  journey.  My  companion  informed  me,  to  my 
no  small  gratification,  that  another  mile  would  bring 
us  to  the  house  where  we  could  lodge  during  the 
approaching  night,  and  from  which  to  the  Falls 


296  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION. 

would  be  but  a  brief  ride  for  the  following  morning. 
Our.  path  here  led  up  the  ascent  of  a  hill.  On  gain- 
ing the  summit,  we  turned  to  gaze  over  the  more 
level  country  of  the  South.  It  was  a  magnificent 
spectacle, — magnificent  in  its  unbounded  wildness. 
Below,  all  around,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
were  forests,  whose  shades  appeared  as  unbroken  as 
if  they  had  never  been  penetrated  by  man.  It  was 
difficult  to  conceive  that  a  population  of  active  human 
beings  existed  among  those  interminable  woods ;  for 
from  the  eminence  we  had  attained,  not  a  cultivated 
field,  not  a  dwelling,  could  be  discerned.  We  knew 
that  rivers  flowed  below,  but  the  thick  woods  shut 
them  from  our  view.  We  knew  that  villages  and 
plantations  were  scattered  around,  but  the  mighty 
forest  seemed  to  have  engulphed  them.  The  sun, 
about  to  set,  glanced  over  an  ocean  of  foliage.  This 
resemblance  struck  the  eye  and  the  mind  in  an  instant. 
In  the  distance,  the  greenness  of  the  woods  faded  in- 
to  that  uncertain  colour  which  marks  the  remoter 
portions  in  a  sea  view,  till,  as  in  such  a  view,  the 
last  tints  blended  with  those  of  the  sky  above.  The 
Currahee  mountain  rose  like  a  gigantic  island  amid 
the  waves  of  oak  and  pine.  Distance  had  softened 
down  all  its  irregularities  of  form,  and  as  I  gazed  on 
it,  a  perfectly  symmetrical  cone,  I  could  scarce  be- 
lieve  it  was  the  broken  and  forest-clad  hill  which,  a 
few  days  before,  I  had  wandered  over. 

Mr.  Taylor's  biscuits  and  his  beds  were  highly  ac- 
ceptable to  way-worn  travellers  ;  and  in  the  morn- 
ing  we  renewed  our  course  to  the  Falls,  or,  I  should 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     297 

rather  say,  the  Ravine  of  Tallulah.  The  name,  I 
believe,  signifies  in  Cherokee,  terrible.  The  country 
people  have  half  translated  and  half  corrupted  the 
name  into  Terrora,  or  Terroree,  as  I  find  it  spelt  on 
a  map  of  Georgia. 

Fastening  our  horses  to  the  trees,  we  advance  a 
few  paces,  and  stand  on  the  brink  of  an  awful  gulph. 
Deep,  deep  is  the  descent — here  perpendicular,  there 
broken,  with  old  black  and  gray  rocks  every  where 
lying  in  gigantic  masses.  Whether  it  be  six  hun- 
dred feet,  or  double  that  distance,  to  the  bottom  of 
this  tremendous  ravine,  I  do  not  remember.  It  might 
well  be  either,  for  the  emotion  produced  at  the  time, 
and  the  lasting  impression  pf  the  scene  upon  the 
memory.  Take  care  where  you  tread.  A  false 
step  precipitates  you  where  those  birds  of  prey,  that 
now  are  wheeling  far  beneath  you,  will  alone  be  able 
to  find  your  quivering  remains.  Look  beyond.  Had 
ever  kingly  castle  a  battlement  like  that  which  frowns 
upon  you  from  the  distant  side  ?  On  that  height 
the  rocks  have  piled  themselves  in  the  form  of  a 
rude  hermitage ;  but  no  foot  of  man  ever  entered 
that  door.  The  eagle  is  the  only  dweller  there. 
A  wood  grows  between — far,  far  beneath  you,  but 
through  it  you  may  see  a  river,  here  wildly  dashing, 
and  there  gliding  quietly  along.  You  hear  the  dis- 
tant sound  of  a  waterfall.  Look  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach  towards  the  left.  You  see  it  there.  In 
one  spot  the  river  leaps  forward  in  a  single  mighty 
bound ;  there  again  it  slides  over  a  smooth  rock, 
then  dashes,  broken,  into  an  abyss  that  foams  up 


298  NOTES    OP   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

again  to  receive  it.  Haste  thither.  It  is  a  mile  or 
two  further  from  your  present  point  of  sight ;  but 
before  you  go,  take  a  last  look  at  this  tremendous 
ravine.  Here !  Stand  on  this  projecting  rock,  the 
"  Devil's  Pulpit,"  and  creep  on  your  hands  and  knees, 
till  you  can  look  over,  and  again  see  the  river  spark- 
ling,  the  grey  rocks,  the  waving  woods,  and  those 
eagles  wheeling  about  beneath  you.  Now  away  ! 
"  The  voice  of  many  waters"  calls  us  to  the  higher 
part  of  the  stream. 

And  here  keep  a  sure  footing, — for  we  must  de- 
scend to  the  very  brink,  that  we  may  stand  near  the 
torrent  in  its  leap.  Hold  by  that  sapling, — now  by 
this.  Well !  we  have  gained  this  rock ;  but  we 
must  go  lower  yet.  In  passing  here,  however,  a  slide 
may  precipitate  you  where  the  waters  will  be  your 
grave  and  their  eternal  music  your  dirge.  They 
who  venture  here  must  put  the  shoes  from  off 
their  feet,  and  trust  in  the  surer  tread  of  unassisted 
nature.  The  scene  is  worth  the  toil  encountered  in 
placing  it  within  our  view.  We  stand  side  by  side 
with  the  river  in  its  might.  Look  behind ; — it  is 
there  bursting  from  above.  Look  before; — it  is 
there  breaking,  foaming,  and  at  last  sinking  exhaust- 
ed, and  gliding  thence  in  peace.  But  the  cataract 
itself  is  as  nothing  compared  with  the  savage  gran- 
deur of  the  scenery  around.  Look  along  that  ravine. 
There  is  the  spot  where  you  lately  stood ; — there, 
still  proudly  eminent  on  the  other  side,  that  hermit, 
age,  whose  secrets  man  has  never  explored.  And 
now  away !  but  not  without — 


NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      299 

A  HYMN  OF  PRAISE  TO  THE  GOD  OF  THE  FO- 
REST AND  THE  FLOOD. 

The  forest,  Lord,  is  thine ; 
Thy  quickening  voice  calls  forth  its  buds  to  light, 

Its  thousand  leaflets  shine, 
Bathed  in  thy  dews  and  in  thy  sunbeams  bright. 

Thy  voice  is  on  the  air, 
Where  breezes  murmur  through  the  pathless  shades  ; 

Thy  universal  care, 
These  awful  deserts,  as  a  spell,  pervades. 

Father !  these  rocks  are  thine, 
Of  thee  the  everlasting  monument, 

Since,  at  thy  glance  divine, 
Earth  trembled,  and  her  solid  hills  were  rent. 

Thine  is  the  flashing  wave, 
Poured  forth  by  thee  from  its  rude  mountain  urn ; 

And  thine  yon  secret  cave, 
Where  haply  gems  of  orient  lustre  burn. 

1  hear  the  eagle  scream ; 
And  not  in  vain  his  cry !  Amid  the  wild 

Thou  hearest.     Can  I  deem 
Thou  wilt  not  listen  to  thy  human  child  7 

God  of  the  rock  and  flood  ! 
In  this  deep  solitude  I  feel  Thee  nigh. 

Almighty,  wise  and  good, 
Turn  on  thy  suppliant  child  a  parent's  eye! 

Guide  through  life's  vale  of  fear 
My  placid  current,  from  defilement  free, 

Till,  seen  no  longer  here, 
It  finds  the  ocean  of  its  rest  in  thee ! 

S.  G.  B. 

FALLS  OF  TOCCOA. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

It  was  a  matter  of  doubt  to  me,  whether,  in  return, 
ing  from  the  mountainous  region,  it  would  be  worth  my 


300     NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

while  to  deviate  from  the  direct  road  for  the  few  miles 
which  intervened  'between  it  and  the  falls  of  Toccoa. 
The  stream,  I  was  told,  was  so  scanty,  that  the  scene 
was  not  worthy  of  comparison  with  what  I  had  al- 
ready visited.  I  concluded,  however,  to  direct  my 
course  thither, — carefully  preparing  myself  not  to 
expect  too  much.  I  travelled  alone,  and  on  horse- 
back, a  mode  of  journeying  by  no  means  disagree- 
able to  one  who  can  find  company  in  his  own  thoughts. 
Are  there  clouds  in  the  sky  ?  Their  forms  supply 
fancy  with  materials  for  her  transient  but  pleasing 
structures.  Is  the  sun  bright  and  the  sky  clear  ? 
Then,  if  one's  own  heart  is  at  ease,  sunshine  is  hap- 
piness  in  itself.  I  love,  too,  to  ride  among  woods. 
I  have  a  cause  of  sympathy  with  them,  which  is  not 
shared  by  all.  Call  me  fanciful  or  superstitious  if 
you  will,  but 


'tis  my  faith,  that  every  flower 


Enjoys  the  air  it  breathes." 

Why  should  we  not  admit  that  the  inferior  species 
of  life,  which  exists  in  the  vegetable  world,  is  accom- 
panied by  an  inferior  species  of  sensation, — of  sus- 
ceptibility to  pleasure  or  pain?  To  me  it  is  a  suffi- 
cient argument  for  such  a  faith,  that  it  honors  the 
Creator,  by  increasing  the  amount  of  enjoyment  in 
his  creation.  What  to  most  spectators  is  yonder 
tree  ?  A  beautiful  object  indeed,  but  utterly  lifeless 
in  any  proper  sense  of  the  word  life.  Its  existence 
adds  no  more  to  the  amount  of  enjoyment  in  the 
universe,  than  if  it  were  made  of  stone.  To  me,  on 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  301 

the  contrary,  it  seems,  as  the  wind  waves  its  branch- 
es, to  feel  in  every  leaf  the  same  delightful  coolness 
that  fans  so  gratefully  rny  own  brow.  Life,  enjoy, 
ment,  darts  from  spray  to  spray,  and  penetrates  to 
the  very  centre  of  the  aged  trunk.  Conceive,  then, 
of  a  forest  of  such  beings.  How  different  is  the  be- 
lief which  represents  every  leaf  and  flower  through 
the  boundless  woods,  as  instinct  with  pleasure,  from 
the  cheerless  imagination  that — here  is  much  good 
timber  !  There  are  many  things,  too,  which  to  my 
mind  confirm  this  faith.  The  tendency  of  leaves 
to  turn  towards  the  sun,  of  roots  to  penetrate  in 
the  direction  most  favorable  for  obtaining  moisture, 
of  climbing  plants  to  turn  with  so  much  seeming  in- 
genuity,  first  one  way,  then  another,  in  search  of  a 
support,  and  the  phenomena  of  sensitive  plants, — 
these  things  confirm  the  existence,  in  the  vegetable 
world,  of  something  approaching  to  animal  instinct, 
and  which  may  therefore  be  combined  with  some- 
thing approaching  to  animal  feeling. 

Such  thoughts,  be  they  well  or  ill  founded,  were 
in  my  mind,  when  a  gentle  murmur  struck  my  ear, 
and  glancing  upward,  I  saw,  above  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  the  object  of  my  curiosity, — the  glassy,  trans- 
parent stream,  rippling  and  sparkling  over  the  pro- 
jecting brow  of  a  rock,  then  falling,  without  other 
interruption,  in  a  pellucid  curtain.  In  an  instant  I 
dismounted,  and  penetrating  the  wood  which  inter- 
vened,  stood  amid  a  scene  of  Nature's  calmest,  pur- 
est loveliness.  Before  me  rocks  were  piled  in  savage 
majesty  ;  but  their  wildness  served  but  to  render 
26 


302  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

more  beautiful  by  contrast  the  lovely  stream  which 
descended  so  constant,  so  mighty,  yet  so  gentle. 
The  height  of  the  fall  is  a  hundred  and  eighty  feet, 
and  as  the  rock  bends  slightly  forward,  the  stream, 
except  at  either  edge,  is  almost  unbroken.  Here  and 
there,  however,  shrubs,  which  have  grown  in  the  in- 
terstices of  the  rocks,  extended  themselves  to  catch 
that  increasing  shower,  and  broke  for  an  instant  the 
glassy  curtain,  which  would  reunite  directly  below 
them.  A  beautiful  effect  is  produced  by  the  scanti- 
ness of  the  stream  in  comparison  with  the  great 
height  from  which  it  falls.  From  its  own  tenuity 
and  the  resistance  of  the  air,  it  is  divided  before  it 
reaches  the  basin  below,  and  descends  in  rain-like 
drops.  The  spray  that  rises  to  meet  it,  sometimes 
assumes  the  tints  of  the  rainbow,  but  none  was  visi- 
ble when  I  was  there.  Here  and  there,  where  a 
bush  or  a  rocky  point  had  checked  the  current, 
white  foam  gleamed  in  the  sun.  Before  me,  at  the 
foot  of  the  rock,  was  the  basin  which  the  waters  had 
scooped  out,  and  from  which,  toward  one  side,  the 
stream  pursued  its  way.  The  woods  formed  the 
other  side  of  the  amphitheatre.  Rocks  were  scat- 
tered in  the  centre.  There  was  a  voice  from  the 
waters,  powerful  enough,  as  -sad  experience  proves, 
to  render  inaudible  even  the  cry  of  a  perishing  vic- 
tim. But  so  steady,  so  calm  was  that  voice,  and  so 
softened  was  its  influence  by  that  of  surrounding  ob- 
jects and  associations,  that  the  impression  of  still- 
ness prevailed  amid  the  unceasing  roar  of  the  cata- 
ract. I  sat  on  a  rocky  fragment,  and  gazed  in  ecs- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      303 

tacy.  After  the  first  moments  of  admiration  that  left 
room  for  no  other  thought,  a  desire  arose  to  retain 
some  memorial  of  the  impressions  then  received  ;  and 
with  my  pencil,  and  using  the  rock  for  a  table,  I 
sketched  a  few  verses,  which,  with  slight  alterations, 
I  enclose  : 

THE  FALLS  OP  TOCCOA. 

Hail  loveliest,  purest  scene ! 
How  brightly  mingling  with  the  clear,  blue  sky, 
Thy  glancing  wave  arrests  the  upward  eye, 

Through  thy  grove's  leafy  screen. 

Through  thy  transparent  veil, 
And  wide  around  thee,  Nature's  grandest  forms, 
Rocks,  built  for  ages  to  abide  the  storms, 

Frown  on  the  subject  dale. 

• 

Fed  by  the  rapid  stream, 
In  every  crevice  of  that  savage  pile, 
The  living  herbs,  as  with  a  quiet  smile, 

Repay  the  gladdening  beam. 

And  over  all,  that  gush 

Of  rain-drops,  sparkling  to  the  noon-day  sun  ! 
While  ages  round  thee  on  their  course  have  run, 

Ceaseless  thy  waters  rush, 
i  -  *• 

I  would  not  that  the  bow, 

With  gorgeous  hues  should  light  thy  virgin  stream, 
Better  thy  white  and  sun-lit  foam  should  gleam 

Thus,  like  unsullied  snow. 
, 

Yes  !  thou  hast  seen  the  woods 
Around,  for  centuries  rise,  decay,  and  die, 
While  thou  hast  poured  thy  endless  current  by 

To  join  the  eternal  floods. 


304  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

The  ages  pass  away, 
Successive  nations  rise,  and  are  forgot, 
But  on  thy  brilliant  course  thou  pausest  not, 

Mid  thine  unchanging  spray. 

When  I  have  sunk  to  rest, 
Thus  wilt  thou  pass,  in  calm  sublimity. 
Then  be  thy  power  to  others,  as  to  me 

On  the  deep  soul  impressed. 

Here  does  a  spirit  dwell 
Of  gratitude,  and  contemplation  high. 
Holding  deep  union  with  eternity. — 

O  loveliest  scene,  farewell ! 

Connected  with  the  fall  of  Toccoa,  is  a  wild  and 
melancholy  tradition.  During  some  hostilities,  many 
years  ago,  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites,  a 
small  party  of  the  latter  were  in  a  situation  of  some 
peril  in  the  vicinity  of  these  falls.  The  Indians 
obliged  a  white  woman,  who  was  their  prisoner,  by 
threats  of  torture  and  death,  to  co-operate  with  them 
for  the  destruction  of  her  countrymen.  On  pretence 
of  leading  them  to  a  safer  position,  she  induced  them 
to  trust  themselves  to  her  guidance,  but  insisted  on 
the  condition  that  they  should  blindfold  themselves. 

The  reason  she  assigned  for  this  was,  that  the 
path  by  which  she  was  to  lead  them  was  a  secret, 
which  she  could  not  permit  them  to  discover  with- 
out  endangering  her  own  life.  She  directed  them 
to  follow  her  footsteps  in  single  files,  and  thus  pro- 
ceeded  with  them  to  the  brow  of  the  hill.  Here  she 
turned  aside,  but  the  blinded  victims,  supposing  her 
to  be  still  before  them,  passed  on,  and  one  after  an- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      305 

other  fell,  and  perished  on  the  rocks  and  in  the  water 
below, — the  roar  of  the  cataract  preventing  those 
that  followed  from  hearing  the  cries  of  those  who 
had  preceded  them.  But  those  cries  were  heard  in 
the  imagination  of  their  wicked  betrayer.  She  liv- 
ed many  years,  but  never  knew  happiness  again.  "  I 
tell  the  tale  as  'twas  told  to  me."  How  much  of  it 
is  probably  true,  you  can  judge  as  well  as  I.  But 
the  story,  and  the  scene  to  which  it  is  ascribed,  pre- 
sent a  forcible  illustration  of  the  contrast  between 
the  changeless  purity  of  God's  fair  creation,  and  the 
dark  crimes  which  man  has  committed  to  desecrate 
it ;  but,  notwithstanding  which, 

"  Nature  still  is  fair." 

COWETA  FALLS,  GEORGIA. 

Immediately  opposite  the  beautiful  and  flourishing 
town  of  Columbus,  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  on  its 
western  side,  are  the  Coweta  Falls,  extending  in  full 
length  across  the  bold  and  rapid  Chattahouchee. 
which  at  this  place  is  about  one  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
width.  There  is  no  part  of  the  shoal  where  the  wa- 
ter descends  more  than  ten  or  twelve  feet  perpendicu- 
lar, as  discernible  to  the  eye,  though  the  actual  fall 
of  water,  as  measured  from  its  level  above  and  below 
the  cataract,  is  fifteen  feet.  This  happens  at  various 
places,  and  in  detached  shoals,  forming  to  the  specta- 
tor, viewing  it  from  either  shore,  a  wide  and  irregu- 
lar heap  of  billows,  apparently  chasing  each  other 
down  the  tremendous  ledge  of  rocks,  over  which  they 
26* 


306  JTOTES  OF  A  SOETHEKN  EXCURSION. 

dash  their  snow-crested  foam.  But  when  viewed 
from  below,  there  seems  to  be  a  beautiful  and  regu- 
lar  fall  of  water,  extending  the  whole  width  of  the 
stream  without  the  slightest  variation  in  height  or 
appearance,  save  an  occasional  bulge  formed  by  the 
obstruction  of  some  elevated  rock.  Immediately 
above  the  eastern  side  of  the  cataract  is  a  fine  oval 
basin,  completely  girt  round  by  a  fall  of  water  above 
and  below  it.  as  well  as  on  its  western  side,  while  the 
shore  terminates  it  on  the  eastern.  This  is  used  by 
the  citizens  as  a  place  of  bathing  during  the  beauti- 
ful summer  nights  of  our  Southern  climate.  There 
have  been  several  instances  of  adventurous,  or  at 
least  unfortunate  persons  being  carried  so  far  out 
towards  the  rush  of  waters  which  skirts  the  basin 
on  the  west,  as  not  to  be  able  to  regain  their  balance ; 
in  consequence  of  which  they  have  been  swept  down 
the  watery  precipice,  swift  as  an  arrow,  and.  in  most 
cases  never  seen  or  heard  of  more.  Hence  the  In- 
dian  tradition  of  the  "  watery  spirit,"  who,  they  say, 
seduces  those  unfortunate  victims  over  the  cataract, 
and  bears  them  away  to  its  own  rocky  dell,  where 
they  live  in  an  entirely  altered  state  of  existence 
from  our  own,  never  being  permitted  to  return  to  their 
friends  on  earth  again.  Notwithstanding  this  dread- 
ed  demon,  however,  there  have  been  instances  of 
Indian  canoes  passing  over  in  safety,  as  well  as  one 
of  a  white  man,  who,  slipping  from  a  place  called 
"  fisherman's  rock,"  while  numerous  individuals  were 
standing  around,  was  never  expected  to  be  heard  of 
more,  when  he  arose  several  hundred  feet  down  the 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      307 

river,  amid  the  acclamations  and  congratulations  of 
his  friends,  and  was  safely  borne  to  land  by  a  canoe 
which  happened  to  be  near  him,  although  complete- 
ly  exhausted  and  almost  lifeless. 

To  one^who  has  gazed  upon  and  admired  the  stu- 
pendous cataract  of  Niagara,  the  Coweta  Fall  may 
not  possess  much  of  grandeur ;  though  it  certainly 
cannot  be  made  to  lose  its  beauty  in  comparison  with 
any  spot  on  earth.  I  am  convinced  that  a  more 
picturesque  scene  could  not  be  invented  by  the  most 
fertile  fancy  than  this  cascade  as  viewed  from  the 
white  bridge  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  be- 
low it,  and  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  romantic 
town  on  its  right.  All  that  the  mind  can  conceive 
of  beauty  is  here  depicted  in  the  sight  of  the  setting 
sun,  on  a  calm  lovely  evening  in  summer.  I  once 
participated  in  the  enjoyment  of  such  a  scene,  when 
the  fine  promenade,  which  ran  along  the  banks  of  the 
river  adjacent  to  the  Falls,  seemed  literally  throng- 
ed with  people  of  both  sexes,  enjoying  the  pleasant 
and  refreshing  breeze  from  the  cascade  in  the  mild 
brilliant  sunset.  The  old  grove  of  oaks,  that  rose  ma- 
jestically above  the  heads  of  the  promenaders,  seem- 
ed to  smile  propitiously  upon  the  scene,  and  bright- 
en up  as  the  breeze  played  laughingly  among  their 
full-grown  boughs  ;  while  the  brushwood  underneath 
.them,  forming  a  more  useful  and  shadowy  bower  im- 
mediately over  their  heads,  reminded  me  of  those 
sweet  Arcadian  groves  where  the  ancient  poets  de- 
lighted to  court  their  muses.  Gradually  peering 
above  the  latter,  and  beautifully  interspersed  among 


308  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

the  branches  of  the  former,  lay  the  northern  precincts 
of  the  town,  in  which  may  be  seen  some  as  stately 
edifices,  and  built  with  as  good  taste,  as  in  many  of 
our  larger  cities.  Still  further  to  the  right,  the  wide- 
ly  scattered  houses,  intermingled  as  yet  with  many 
of  the  old  forest  trees,  stretched  themselves  along, 
till  the  dense  wood  arrested  their  progress,  and  seem- 
ed as  if  bidding  defiance  to  the  farther  progress  of 
civilization.  In  the  back-ground  the  same  line  of 
tall  old  oaks  and  towering  pines,  forming  the  same 
"  vast  contiguity  of  shade,"  arrests  the  attention  of 
the  spectator,  gradually  lowering  as  the  eye  turns  to 
the  left,  until  at  length  there  is  a  complete  indenta- 
tion  formed  where  the  bed  of  the  river  interposes  it- 
self  in  the  distant  view  of  the  horizon.  Here  I 
paused  for  a  moment  in  admiration  of  the  scene,  and 
then,  as  if  led  by  the  lulling  sound  which  issued  so 
musically  from  beneath  my  gaze,  I  cast  my  eyes  down- 
ward, and  beheld  the  bright  sheet  of  smooth  uninter- 
rupted water,  as  it  moved  gently  but  steadily  on- 
ward, to  the  daring,  acclivity,  over  which  it  was  soon 
destined  to  plunge,  and  mingle  with  the  foam  that 
looked  like  "  snowy  hillocks  on  the  dappled  stream," 
or  turn  to  the  spray  which  rose  so  beautifully  to  the 
evening  clouds,  on  which  the  colours  of  the  rainbow 
were  reflected  with  prismatic  beauty  by  the  brilliant 
light  of  the  setting  sun.  A  few  flats  and  airy  skiffs, 
with  some  dusky  forms  seated  in  them,  were  dashing 
across  the  stream  below  the  Fall,  and  here  and  there 
a  fisherman  might  be  seen  along  the  margin  of  the 
river,  intently  gazing  on  his  line,  while  a  few  strag- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      309 

gling  swallows  occasionally  dipped  their  wings  in 
the  broad  stream  before  me,  and  then  flitted  again 
gaily  above  the  invigorating  element. 

I  gazed  on  the  scene  till  the  spirit  of  romance 
gently  descended  and  enshrouded  all  my  mental  fa. 
culties.  Nor  did  I  awake  from  my  reverie  till  the 
nightfall  had  gradually  mingled  the  picturesque  scene 
which  lay  before  me,  in  such  a  confused  mass,  as  to 
permit  me  only  to  behold  the  grey  outline  of  what 
had  seemed  before  so  passingly  beautiful.  The  shrill 
whoop  of  the  Indian  hunter  on  the  same  side  of  the 
river  which  I  occupied,  and  the  broad  flash  of  his 
lighted  torch  across  the  stream,  soon  aroused  me  to 
a  sense  of  my  situation,  and  informed  me  of  the  late- 
ness of  the  hour.  Accordingly  I  re-crossed  the  beau- 
tiful  bridge  which  led  to  the  town,  wondering  in  my 
mind  whether  the  scene  I  had  beheld  was  real,  or 
only  the  freak  of  an  over-excited  imagination.  Min- 
gling with  the  few  lingering  amateurs  of  the  retiring 
crowd,  I  soon  found  myself  dispossessed  of  the  man- 
tle of  romance,  and  comfortably  seated  at  my  hotel, 
surrounded  by  a  circle  of  friends,  whom  the  force 
of  circumstances  had  given  me  within  the  limited 
period  of  a  short  month.  But  the  impression  of 
that  beautiful  scene  still  lingers  in  my  memory,  af- 
ter an  absence  of  two  years,  as  fresh  as  though  I 
stood  upon  the  same  spot,  and  witnessed  anew  that 
vivid  and  inimitable  picture  of  romantic  scenery. 

P. 


310  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Scenery  on  the  Chattahouchie,  Georgia. 

The  scenery  of  the  Hudson  has  been  extolled  as 
being  the  most  sublime  and  picturesque  to  be  found 
in  the  wide-extended  continent  of  America,  and  com- 
parable  to  the  most  beautiful  specimens  even  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine.  But  I  doubt  not,  however,  that 
in  many  of  the  wilder  and  less  frequented  portions  of 
the  States,  there  may  be  found  scenery,  which,  if  but 
seen  as  often  by  persons  of  taste,  and  panegyrised 
by  as  able  pens,  would  rival  the  far-famed  Hudson. 
A  day's  ramble  on  the  river  Chattahouchie  has  con- 
firmed me  in  the  above  opinion,  and  1  am  convinced, 
that  to  one  of  a  poetic  fancy,  no  place  is  better  cal- 
culated to  call  forth  those  high  and  ecstatic  feelings 
which  none  but  poets  know,  than  a  visit  to  its  wild 
and  uncultivated  banks.  Not  only  has  Nature,  with 
an  unsparing  hand,  been  lavish  to  this  spot,  in  elevat- 
ing the  towering  hill,  inserting  the  craggy  rock,  and 
placing  the  bold  and  beautiful  river  to  meander  be- 
neath them ;  but  here  is  also  to  be  seen  the  flowery 
vale,  interspersed  with  numerous  specimens  from 
Flora's  hand.  Specimens  of  unparalleled  beauty 
overhang  the  mossy  banks  of  the  river,  and  skirt 
the  brow  of  the  rugged  bluff.  While,  waving  over 
them  in  monarch-like  majesty,  the  elegant  magnolia, 
shadowy  oak,  and  loftier  and  more  desolate  pine, 
seem  to  protect  them  from  the  blasts  of  the  hurricane, 
and  promise  succour  and  shelter  from  the  ever-return- 
ing  frosts  of  October. 

Through  such  an  Eden  as  this,  our  little  party 


NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  311 

had  wended  their  way  from  the  environs  of  Colum- 
bus for  the  distance  of  several  miles.  We  were  all 
pedestrians,  inasmuch  as  the  river  is  entirely  unna- 
vigable,  from  the  frequency  and  elevation  of  its  falls, 
which  last  for  more  than  twenty  miles;  and  the  high 
bluffs  and  deep  ravines  are  equally  unsurmountable 
to  horsemen  ;  from  which  cause,  I  doubt  not,  that 
many,  even  of  the  citizens,  more  especially  ladies, 
have  been  deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  beholding  this 
earthly  paradise. 

Till  now,  each  heart  had  throbbed  with  the  sweet- 
est  emotions,  for  we  had  been  walking  through  the 
dominions  of  Flora,  where  all  her  woodland  delicacies 
were  scattered  in  rich  profusion.  The  beautiful 
ivy,  mellifluent  honey-suckle,  and  clambering  wood- 
bine,  greeted  our  vision  with  their  varied  colors, 
while  their  odours  made  us  feel  and  enjoy  the  senti- 
ment, 

"That  hill,  and  dale,  and  mossy  bank,  seemed  filled 
With  the  delightsome  flowers  of  spring,  which  bloom 
With  such  superior  charms  of  loveliness 
On  the  wild  margin  of  the  forest  lakes, 
And  scatter  perfume  on  the  desert  wind." 

The  Goddess  of  flowers  may  be  worshipped  with 
great  justness  in  her  artificial  temples  when  she 
adorns  the  gardens  of  the  rich,  but  I  am  better  pleas- 
ed to  offer  up  my  devotions  to  nature  in  her  wildest 
simplicity,  where  the  workmanship  of  the  hands 
seems  to  be  purer  and  more  beautiful. 

After  admiring  this  delightful  land  of  birds  and 
flowers,  we  continued  to  wind  our  way  up  the  river, 


812     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

crossing  such  little  streamlets  as  came  in  our  way, 
and  clambering  over  hill  and  craggy  rock,  until  our 
course  was  obstructed  by  an  almost  perpendicular 
acclivity,  which  appeared  to  be  several  hundred  feet 
in  length.  It  did  not  form  an  entirely  impassable 
barrier  to  our  further  progress  up  the  immediate 
bank  of  the  river ;  but,  being  directed  by  our  guide, 
we  began  to  ascend  the  hill,  which  we  effected  by 
pulling  up  ourselves  by  the  shrubs  and  undergrowth 
which  grew  on  its  sides.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
summit,  the  scene  which  presented"  itself  to  our  view, 
with  the  dashing  of  the  rushing  waters  beneath  us, 
and  the  deep  ravine  which  separated  us  from  the 
mountain  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  was  only 
surpassed  by  that  which  we  were  soon  after  permit- 
ted  to  behold,  and  to  which  we  directed  our  footsteps. 
The  high  knoll  of  land  on  which  we  now  found 
ourselves,  proved  to  be  a  kind  of  promontory,  which 
projected  for  some  distance  into  the  course  of  the 
river,  and  caused  it  to  wind  around  its  base  in  a  ser- 
pentine manner.  We  had  but  a  half  rnile  to  go  to 
complete  our  intended  visit  to  the  Lover's  Leap, 
which  was  situated  at  the  extremity  of  this  promon- 
tory. On  our  way  thither  we  passed  through  an 
old  Indian  field,  where  once  the  native  sons  of  the 
forest  had  tilled  the  land  in  imitation  of  the  more 
artful  and  scientific  white  man.  As  we  cast  our 
eyes  on  this  scene  of  desolation,  and  then  to  the  In- 
dian forests,  from  which  we  were  only  separated  by 
a  river,  and  thought  that  ere  long  those  too  must  be 
given  up  for  other  houses  and  other  forests  in  the 


KOTES    OP   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  313 

Wilds  of  the  West,  we  could  but  sympathize  with 
them,  and  feel  that  they  were  a  hunted  and  oppressed 
race  of  men.  While  at  the  same  time  we  admired 
the  wise  dispensations  of  Providence,  which  had  in* 
stituted  the  noble  principles  of  Christianity  where 
so  lately  savages  and  beasts  of  prey  had  reigned  in 
universal  dominion. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  my  own  feelings, 
or  the  feelings  of  my  companions,  on  arriving  at  the 
rocky  tower  called  the  Lover's  Leap,  inasmuch  as  I 
conceive  myself  entirely  inadequate  to  the  task. 
The  simultaneous  burst  frem  every  bosom  was, 
"grand  !  beautiful !  inimitable  !"  Let  your  readers 
bring  to  remembrance  the  effect  the  painting  of  Ge- 
neva had  upon  their  minds  when  first  the  optical  il- 
lusion came  over  them,  and  the  lake,  and  river,  and 
city  were  all  magnified  to  their  natural  sizes,  and 
seemed  to  swim  off  to  their  respective  distances ; 
and  they  may,  in  some  degree,  imagine  our  feelings 
on  first  beholding  one  of  the  most  magnificent  dis- 
plays of  scenery  which  Nature  or  Art  had  ever  pre- 
sented to  our  vision. 

We  stood  on  the  Lover's  Leap, — a  high  and 
craggy  rock,  which  fretted  over  the  river  Chattahou- 
chie,  forming  the  termination  of  the  lofty  knoll  we 
had  just  ascended.  It  takes  "its  name  from  the  tra- 
dition of  one  of  the  early  frontier  settlers,  who,  des- 
pairing of  obtaining  the  affections  of  one  he  loved, 
cast  himself  from  the  lofty  summit  of  this  craggy 
height  into  the  dismal  depth  beneath,  where  he  pe- 
rished, a  victim  of  suicide.  We  stood  on  the  same 
27 


314     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

spot,  and  cast  our  eyes  far  beneath  us,  where  the 
bold  and  beautiful  river,  which  washes  its  base,  rush- 
ed forward  down  a  ledge  of  rocks,  and  sent  up  to  our 
ears  the  hollow  sound  of  the  distant  waterfall,  which 
one  might  imagine  proceeded  from  the  gloomy  Styx 
or  Acheron,  from  its  deep  bellowing  sound,  the  echoes 
of  which  seemed  to  reverberate  from  rock  to  rock 
and  from  mountain  to  mountain.  A  natural  dome 
of  firm  granite,  apparently  hewn  into  the  most  exact 
proportions,  as  if  measured  by  the  line  and  plummet 
of  the  artist,  extends  from  the  base  of  the  Lover's 
Leap  some  hundred  feet  into  the  river,  around  which 
it  is  forced  to  wind  its  way  through  a  narrow  defile, 
with  an  almost  unparalleled  swiftness,  forming,  at  the 
same  time,  a  beautiful  curve  in  the  river,  which,  from 
the  continued  shoals  over  which  it  dashes,  and  the 
white  foam  they  create,  resembled,  when  viewed  from 
our  lofty  elevation,  a  streak  of  snow  lying  in  a  deep 
forest  of  trees,  with  occasional  interception  of  sable 
spots,  apparently  thawed  by  the  influences  of  the 
burning  sun.  In  front,  the  noble  brow  of  a  lofty  hill 
rose  up  majestically  to  the  clouds,  which  by  some 
shock  of  nature  had  seemingly  been  separated  for 
some  hundred  feet  into  its  bosom,  from  whence 
sprang  a  large  fountain  of  water,  dashing  with  ma- 
jestic  strides  down  its  side,  over  rocks  and  every  in- 
terposing  obstacle,  until  it  reached  the  vale  beneath, 
where,  collecting  together,  the  waters  ran  off  in  a 
beautiful  and  placid  brook  to  the  bed  of  the  river. 
I  cannot  imagine  a  more  picturesque  scene  than 
this  cascade,  appearing  above-  the  very  tops  of  the 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     315 

trees  of  the  valley,  leaping  and  skipping  with  play. 
ful  agility  down  the  craggy  precipice.  To  the  left, 
the  eye  views  the  downward  progress  of  the  Chatta. 
houchie,  whither  its  waters  move  onward  to  the  great 
gulf  of  Mexico.  Nor  here  is  the  scenery  less  poeti- 
cal, or  filled  with  less  to  entertain  the  spectator.  In 
this  direction  the  stream  is  as  straight  as  it  is  rapid, 
and  allows  the  vision  to  penetrate  through  the  deep 
ravine  which  follows  its  course  without  any  obstruc- 
tion, while  the  towering  bluffs,  which  arise  on  either 
side  with  all  their  forest  pride,  were  seen  in  majesty 
far  above.  In  the  dim  distance,  and  through  the 
spray  and  fog  which  rises  from  the  Coweta  Falls, 
the  eye  can  distinguish  the  beautiful  white  bridge 
that  crosses  the  river  at  Columbus,  as  well  as  the 
fine  steamers  which  rest  upon  its  bosom,  and  which 
serve  to  bear  the  produce  of  the  country  to  the  great 
waters  of  the  ocean.  While  to  the  left  some  of  the 
more  elevated  and  imposing  buildings  of  the  town 
itself  add  not  a  little  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene  ;  all 
of  which  tended  to  impress  upon  our  mind  the  much 
admired  sentiment  of  Campbell, 

"  Why  do  those  cliffs  of  shadowy  tint  appear 
More  sweet  than  all  the  landscape  smiling  near  7 
'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view, 
And  robes  the  mountain  in  its  azure  hue." 

P. 


316  NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION. 

THE  SOLDIERS'  MOUND, 
On  tlie  Eastern  branch  of  the  Oakmulgee,  Georgia. 

Among  the  many  vestiges  which  the  aborigines  of 
our  country  have  left  behind  them,  to  preserve  the  re- 
membrance that  such  beings  once  existed,  none  seems 
more  properly  adapted  to  the  purpose  than  the  nu- 
merous tumuli,  or  mounds  of  earth  which  rise  up  in 
almost  every  forest,  and  say  in  a  language  not 
to  be  misunderstood,  "  here  lie  the  fathers  of  a 
once  powerful,  but  now  almost  extinguished  race  of 
men."  These  tumuli,  however,  do  not  seem  to  be 
dedicated  to  the  relics  of  departed  spirits,  nor  do 
they  all  contain  the  bones  of  human  beings.  On 
the  contrary,  many  of  the  largest  seem  to  have  been 
erected  for  a  different  purpose,  if  not  by  a  different 
race  of  men.  The  smaller  ones,  however,  appear  to 
have  been  used  as  cemetries  for  the  dead,  and  con- 
tain not  only  the  bones  of  human  skeletons,  but  also 
numerous  specimens  of  Indian  idolatry,  as  beautiful 
ruby  coloured  stones,  and  such  like  trifling  gewgaws, 
with  which  their  more  degenerate  sons  seem  so  ex- 
cessively delighted  at  the  present  day.  The  larger 
mounds  are  much  fewer  in  number,  at  great  distances 
apart,  and  seem  better  calculated  for  the  purposes  of 
war  than  the  less  pompous  and  more  solemn  obse- 
quies of  burial.  Of  this  class  we  have  a  fine  speci- 
men about  one  mile  and  a  half  south-east  of  the  city 
of  Macon,  Georgia,  on  the  eastern  branch  of  the 
Oakmulgee  river,  significantly  called  the  "  Soldiers' 
Mound." 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  317 

Like  most  curiosities,  it  has  been  suffered  to  lie 
almost  unnoticed  by  persons  living  in  its  immediate 
vicinity,  though  it  affords  matter  of  considerable  in- 
terest  to  almost  every  traveller.  Under  this  prevail- 
ing feeling  of  apathy,  it  is  enclosed  in  such  a  manner 
by  fencing  as  to  prevent  any  person  on  horseback 
approaching  very  near  it.  Consequently  our  visit- 
ing  party  were  under  the  necessity  of  turning  pe- 
destrians before  they  could  experience  the  pleasure 
of  beholding  it.  After  crossing  the  elegant  bridge 
which  leads  from  the  main  town  to  East  Macon,  we 
entered  a  blind  and  thickly  overshadowed  pathway, 
which  led  us  immediately  down  the  banks  of  the 
deep,  still  Oakmulgee ;  and  after  crossing  various 
ditches  and  fences,  and  brushing  the  dew  from  nu- 
merous  leaves  and  spires  of  grass,  we  found  our- 
selves emerging  from  the  depth  of  the  dark  wood  in 
an  oblique  direction  from  the  banks  of  the  deep  river 
into  an  open  field,  at  the  end  of  which  the  tumulus 
rears  its  ancient  brow, — a  truly  isolated  spectacle 
when  contrasted  with  the  appearance  of  the  flat  al- 
luvial country  which  surrounds  it.  At  the  first 
view  of  the  mound  I  could  not  conceive  for  what 
purpose  so  enormous  a  mass  of  earth  could  ever 
have  been  gathered  together  :  yet  that  it  was  done 
by  human  power,  the  proofs  appeared  too  evident  and 
convincing  to  admit  of  a  well-grounded  doubt.  Its 
studied  situation  and  exact  proportions  are  not  the 
least  among  these  proofs,  though  it  must  have  been 
the  work  of  years,  and  reared  many  years  ago.  la 
fact,  while  standing  upon  its  lofty  summit,  and  view. 
27* 


318  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ing  the  surrounding  country,  one  is  almost  ready  to 
imagine  it  another  Babel,  the  design  of  whose  eleva- 
tion was  no  less  than  to  pierce  the  very  skies.  On 
the  ground,  however,  of  some  faint  historical  remi- 
niscences and  slight  circumstantial  evidences,  men 
of  extensive  knowledge  and  good  judgment  have 
been  led  to  conjecture  the  probability  of  there  once 
existing  in  this  Southern  clime  a  half-civilized  race 
of  men,  whose  greater  ingenuity  had  prompted  them 
to  further  advances  in  the  arts  and  sciences  than 
the  neighbouring  tribes  of  Indians.  In  fact,  we  have 
some  striking  evidences  of  such  a  state  of  things  in 
the  erection  of  the  "  Temple  of  the  Sun"  in  Mexico. 
That  such  a  race  existed,  we  have  but  little  doubt  : 
that  they  are  now  extinct,  and  have  been  so  for 
years,  appears  to  be  equally  evident.  The  ultimate 
conclusion  appears  then  to  be,  that  they  were  des- 
troyed by  some  hostile,  designing  foes.  Probably 
the  envious  spirit  of  the  barbarians  of  the  north 
prompted  them  to  bear  down  upon  them  like  a  rush- 
ing  torrent  from  the  mountains  in  the  cessation  of 
winter  and  the  melting  of  the  snow,  verifying,  in 
our  western  and  less  antiquated  world,  a  similar  state 
of  things  to  that  which  once  transpired  in  the  east. 
Hence  the  erection  of  the  larger  tumulus  of  earth  for 
the  purpose  of  protecting  and  defending  the  builders 
from  the  invasions  of  their  enemies,  and  of  the  small- 
er ones,  for  the  purpose  of  interring  their  fallen  sol- 
diery  with  the  honors  of  war.  The  Soldiers'  Mound, 
as  I  before  stated,  must  have  been  reared  ages  ago, 
inasmuch  as  there  are  to  be  seen  growing  on  its 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      819 

sides  and  its  summit,  very  large  towering  oaks,  se- 
veral feet  in  diameter,  which  look  as  if  they  had 
stood  the  shock  of  earthquakes,  as  well  as  the  tern- 
pest's  rage,  for  days  innumerous  as  the  leaves  that 
flutter  on  their  boughs.  The  mound  itself  is  several 
hundred  feet  in  diameter  at  its  base,  and  more  than 
a  hundred  feet  in  elevation,  being  nearly  as  many 
across  the  flat  surface  of  its  summit.  It  is  built  in 
a  perfectly  pyramidal  form,  being  gradually  tapered 
upward  from  its  base  in  exact  proportions  through, 
out  its  circumference.  Some  individual  of  a  lofty 
imagination  once  planted  a  garden  on  its  summit, 
which,  however,  has  recently  gone  into  utter  decay. 
From  this  height,  the  view  of  the  surrounding  country 
is  pleasing  and  sublime.  To  the  south,  a  large  forest 
of  pine,  intermingled  with  occasional  patches  of  oak 
and  hickory,  is  to  be  seen,  through  whose  dense  body 
the  sluggish  Oakmulgee  winds  its  way  with  slow, 
but  steady  pace.  On  the  north,  old  Fort  Hill  rises 
majestically  upwards  in  gradual  ascension  from  the 
bed  of  the  river,  and  maintains  an  elevated  station 
among  the  hillocks  which  surround  it,  overlooking 
the  village  of  East  Macon,  which  lies  at  its  foot,  and 
bearing  on  its  sloping  sides  the  scattered  and  newly 
formed  village  of  Troy.  On  its  summit,  Fort  Haw- 
kins  rears  her  ancient  watch  towers,  some  distance 
above  her  more  impregnable  walls  of  defence.  It, 
however,  at  present  exhibits  quite  a  dilapidated  con. 
dition,  much  of  its  wooden  structure  having  gone  to 
decay,  and  many  of  the  bricks  being  thrown  down. 
The  beautiful  grove  of  native  forest  growth,  so  ele- 


S20  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

gantly  pruned  by  the  soldiers  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  which  covers  its  brow,  is  too  exquisitely 
.romantic  to  escape  the  glance  of  the  most  careless 
traveller  who  passes  it  in  the  stage.  Farther  to  the 
left,  the  infant  city  of  Macon*  rears  its  spires  and 
elegantly  built  houses  high  in  air ;  while  the  lofty 
hills  which  surround  it  on  the  west,  with  their  fine 
and  numerous  edifices,  add  much  to  the  sublimity  of 
the  scene.  A  little  to  the  right  of  these,  the  beau- 
tiful village  of  Pineville  may  be  partially  seen 
through  the  academic  grove,  which  contains  a  noble 
edifice  sacred  to  the  cause  of  education  and  science. 
As  all  absorbing  as  the  surrounding  scenery  might 
have  been  to  us,  there  was  an  object  in  our  imme- 
diate vicinity  which  attracted  much  of  our  attention. 
This  was  a  small  mound  of  earth,  with  a  rough  stone 
at  its  head,  bearing  the  inscription  of  some  almost 
illegible  letters  upon  its  face  concerning  the  inter- 
ment of  two  soldiers,f  who  were  also  brothers. 
Their  name  has  entirely  escaped  my  memory,  though 
it  was  rudely  carved  upon  the  stone  which  marked 
their  resting  place.  Their  history  is  short,  as  told 

me  by  a  young  lady  of  M .     During  the  late 

war  with  Great  Britain  and  the  Indians,  a  soldier 
belonging  to  the  American  camp,  at  that  time  sta- 
tioned  at  Fort  Hawkins,  which  lies  about  one  mile 
north  of  the  mound,  was  seen  to  retire  to  this  spot 

*  Macon  has  been  incorporated  as  a  city  by  the  Legislature 
of  Georgia.  It  was  founded  in  1823,  and  at  present  contains 
about  five  thousand  inhabitants. 

t  Hence  the  title  of  the  mound. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  321 

in  the  shades  of  the  evening,  and  kneel  in  lonely,  si- 
lent  devotion.  His  piety  soon  became  proverbial, 
and  his  brother,  who  first  discovered  him,  was  much 
affected  by  it,  and  afterwards  joined  him  in  his  ves- 
per oblations  to  heaven.  Ere  the  removal  of  the 
army  from  this  station,  it  was  the  unfortunate  lot  of 
the  two  brothers  to  fall  victims  to  some  epidemical 
disease,  as  they  were  both  foreigners.  In  just  re- 
membrance of  their  virtues,  their  fellow-soldiers 
buried  them  at  the  very  spot  where  they  had  offered 
their  daily  devotions. 

P. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  A  PRIVATE  JOURNAL 

KEPT  ON  A  TOUR 

FROM  CHARLESTON  TO  NEW-YORK ; 

BY  FOUR  FRIENDS. 


[The  following  Journal  is  valuable  as  furnishing 
an  account  of  one  of  the  land  routes  from  Charleston 
to  New-York.  It  is  written  with  the  familiarity  of 
private  correspondence,  and  was  a  jeu  d'esprit  of 
four  travellers,  who  threw  out  their  thoughts  on  the 
same  sheets  as  inclination  prompted.  This  circum. 
stance  will  account  for  any  apparent  difference  in 
the  style  of  various  parts. 

There  are  exhibited  on  these  sheets  many  points 
of  useful  information  for  general  readers,  and  to  a 
large  private  circle  these  sketches  will  afford  a  deep 
though  mournful  interest,  since  one  of  the  brightest 
and  purest  spirits  which  animated  that  group  has 
gone  to  her  final  rest, — has  accomplished  her  brief 
but  lovely  pilgrimage  of  life. 

,The  following  lines,  written  a  year  or  two  before 
her  death,  will  show  her  preparation  for  intercourse 
with  immortals  :] 

DIALOGUE  BETWEEN  THE  BODY  AND  SPIRIT. 

Body. — Spirit !  I  feel  that  thou 
Wilt  soon  depart. 

This  body  is  too  weak  longer  to  hold 
The  immortal  part. 
The  ties  of  earth  are  loosening — 

They  will  break ; 
And  thou — even  as  a  joyous  bird, 
Thy  flight  will  take 

To  the  eternal  world. 
Say,  spirit !  say  ! 

Wilt  thou  return  again  1  once  more  illume 
My  house  of  clay  1 
28 


326  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Or  must  this  body,  which  has  been  to  thee 
A  temple  and  a  dwelling-place, 
Perish  forever — and  forgotten  be  1 
Spirit. — Yes  !  I  must  leave  thee. 
I  am  longing 

For  the  communion  of  those  blessed  ones 
Within  the  courts  of  heaven, 
Who  tune  their  golden  harps 
To  the  eternal  praise  of  Him,  who  gives 

That  home  above —  ^/ 

Which  they  have  gained,  and  which  I  would  attain. 
Through  Him  who  came  to  prove 

That  God  is  Love: 
And  by  Him  too,  I  know  that  thou, 

My  earthly  tenement, 
Within  the  dust  must  lie, 
And  there,  turn  to  corruption, 
Even  as  the  seed  doth  die, 

To  be  revived  again. 
Death  hath  no  power  o'er  the  soul, 
For  Christ  hath  conquered — 
The  grave  cannot  retain  its  victims 
When  He  cries — come  forth ! 

Then  I  return  to  thee — 

The  victory  is  gained —  -,   ^ 

For  "  Christ  hath  made  us  free," 


EXTRACTS  FROM  A  JOURNAL. 

The  Private  Conveyance. 

How  shall  we  get  from  Charleston  to  Columbia  ? 
This  was  a  question  that  was  seriously  discussed  by 
our /little  party,  just  setting  out  on  a  journey.  We 
had  planned  the  after-part  of  our  tour,  deciding  that 
we  would  waltz  our  way  northward,  avoiding  a 
straight  line  as  far  as  was  consistent  with  some  sort 
of  tendency  to  a  fixed  point.  But  how  were  we  to  go 
from  Charleston  to  Columbia?  There  was  a  river 
and  a  steam-boat,  but  the  water  was  low,  and  the 
boat  was  sometimes  detained  for  several  days  among 
the  swamps  and  rice-grounds,  where  we  should  be 
sure  to  take  the  country-fever.  There  was  a  rail- 
road,  not  exactly  to  Columbia,  but  to  another  place 
that  would  answer  our  purpose  as  well,  and  we 
might  be  whirled  there  in  the  space  of  marvellously 
few  hours.  Bat  some  of  us  loved  our  lives  too  well 
to  risk  them  on  a  structure  so  frail,  that  it  seemed 
a  mere  "tempting  of  Providence."* 

*  If  our  tourists  had  chosen  the  quiet,  easy  whirl  of  the  rail 
car,  we  should  have  been  deprived  of  the  lively  narrative  of 
their  broken  wheel  and  foundered  horses. 


328  KOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN 

At  last  it  was  all  arranged,  and  one  clear  and 
cloudless  Monday  morning  we  set  out  with  fair  pro- 
spects.  We  were  four — two  ladies,  two  gentlemen 
— all  equable,  amiable,  just  the  sort  of  people  nature 
formed  for  travellers.  We  just  filled  a  commodious 
carriage,  and  our  effects  perfectly  and  harmoniously 
fitted  into  the  external  space.  Two  horses,  strong 
and  steady,  were  our  moving  principle  ;  and  to  per- 
petualize  the  motion,  two  others  had  preceded  them 
the  day  before,  and  waited  for  us  at  a  suitable  dis- 
tance. Our  driver  was  trusty  Joe,  a  discreet  and 
respectable  old  negro.  As  he  figures  in  our  story,  it 
may  be  well  to  individualize  him  to  inquirers  into  our 
adventures.  "He  was  short  and  thick,  with  a  curve 
of  the  lower  limbs  that  would  have  been  ludicrous,  if 
the  effect  had  not  been  counteracted  by  an  awfully 
sedate  expression  of  countenance.  His  face  was  a 
labyrinth  of  wrinkles,  in  which,  not  age,  but  a  sense 
of  responsibility,  had  bewildered  and  lost  itself;  and 
yet  it  seemed  alert,  as  if  it  was  looking  for  the  way 
out.  Honest  Joe !  how  we  enjoyed  the  look  of 
careful  satisfaction  with  which  he  took  his  seat  af- 
ter all  was  rightly  disposed  ;  it  augured  well  for  the 
journey,  that  we  resigned  ourselves  to  pleasant  cer- 
tainty that  all  would  go  right.  It  was  not  dusty,  it 
was  not  uncomfortably  warm,  it  was  early ;  we 
should  be  forty  miles  before  sunset,  far  among  the 
hills,  and  elevated  above  all  swamps,  bogs,  and  dread 
of  low-land  fevers.  The  early  sunbeams  lay  in  lines 
of  ruddy  splendour  on  our  path,  as  we  parted  from 
our  last  friend,  who  had  accompanied  us  ten  miles  on 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  329 

our  road.  We  rode  on  ;  tall  trees  cast  their  shadows 
over  us,  and  the  long  grey  moss  swung  in  the  plea, 
sant  breeze.  Hour  after  hoar  we  passed  over  miles 
after  miles — slowly,  for  we  rode  over  a  sand-bed,  but 
surely,  oh  full  surely. 

Ah !  Ah !  what  was  that  ?  Was  it  ?  Why  yes,  it 
was  a  little  slipping  of  the  tire  of  the  wheel,  and  we 
had  no  hammer  and  nails  to  fix  it  all  right,  but  a  wedge 
would  do;  it  would  hold  till  we  could  reach  a  house. 
We  rode  on,  but  with  a  new  feeling — a  slight  sense  of 
care.  There  was  another  crack,  and  we  concluded  to 
walk  to  the  house  which  was  insight.  The  road  was 
bordered  by  Swamp  magnolia  and  Honey-Suckles,  but 
a  deep  ditch  of  stagnant  water  lay  between,  and  none 
of  our  little  party  seemed  in  spirits  to  leap  the  ditch, 
and  gather  them.  We  reached  the  house,  and  there 
it  was  decided  that  our  case  required  a  smith;  but 
as  none  was  to  be  had  just  there,  we  must  move  on 
carefully  till  we  found  one. 

As  our  gentlemen  and  Joe  were  operating  upon 
the  wheel  to  the  best  of  their  abilities,  M.  and  J.  en- 
tered  into  conversation  with  the  landlady.  She 
was  a  long,  lank,  sallow  body,  the  image 'of  despair. 
She  said  the  country  about  was  dreadfully  sickly ; 
she  had  lost  one  husband,  all  her  children,  and  did 
not  think  she  could  live  long  herself.  This  was 
cheering,  supposing  the  wheel  could  not  be  mended. 
At  last  we  were  called  out  to  take  our  seats.  The 
wheel  was  bandaged  with  a  leather-strap  round  and 
round.  Joe  shut  the  door  after  us,  looking  at  the 
wheel  as  he  did  so.  The  wrinkles  were  deep,  and 
23* 


330  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

his  whole  face  contracted ;  but  he  mounted  the  box 
and  drove  on,  only  very  slowly.  Round  and  round 
it  went,  like  the  other  wheels.  We  began  to  feel  bet- 
ter,  it  would  do  till  we  could  reach  the  blacksmith's, 
and  then  we  should  be  another  hour  or  two  later  in 
reaching  our  lodging-place,  but  that  would  be  all. 
It  was  twelve  o'clock,  the  sun  powerful,  the  sand 
deep,  the  shade  that  had  bordered  the  roadside  gone, 
— a  crack  !  stop  !  stop  !  Joe  !  and  stop  he  did  ;  but 
not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  the  spokes  had  parted,  and 
in  another  moment  we  should  all  have  been  upset. 
Here  was  perplexity !  After  a  little  consultation  the 
horses  were  taken  out,  one  was  tied  to  the  carriage 
behind,  and  Joe  was  mounted  on  the  other,  and  sent 
for  assistance.  We  propped  up  the  carriage,  and 
resigned  ourselves  to  sit  in  it,  and  wait  for  deliver- 
ance. An  hour  passed  on !  The  heat  was  over- 
powering !  We  said  little,  but  every  eye  was  strain- 
ed in  the  direction  from  which  we  hoped  for  aid. 
At  last  a  cloud  of  dust  was  seen.  A  figure,  which 
we  knew  for  Joe,  first  emerged,  and  something  seem- 
ed to  be  following  him.  We  gazed  earnestly,  until 
it  took  the  shape  of  a  wagon,  and  came  rattling  and 
lumbering  towards  us.  It  was  a  farcical  convey- 
ance ! — A  rough,  loosely-put-together  road  wagon, 
long,  and  covered  at  the  sides  to  meet  a  very  high 
back  and  front,  with  half  a  dozen  chairs  dancing  about 
in  its  immensity  of  space.  The  harness  was  inde- 
scribable, being  composed  partly  of  rattling  chains, 
and  partly  of  knotted  ropes.  And  then  the  steeds  ! — 
One  was  a  tall  wreck  of  a  bay  horse,  on  which  a  rag- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      331 

ged,  dirty  negro  was  mounted  ;  and  one  was  a  small, 
active  mule,  tied  on  to  help  as  much  as  he  could.  The 
negro  held  him  by  a  bridle,  and  he  came  jumping 
on  to  keep  up  with  the  tall  horse's  strides.  It  halt- 
ed ;  three  trunks,  four  carpet  bags,  two  ladies,  were 
transferred  into  its  expanse  ;  and  the  two  gentlemen 
seated  themselves  with  open  umbrellas,  and  -gave 
the  signal  for  motion.  We  cast  a  look  behind ;  a 
supernumerary  chair,  and  the  broken  wheel,  hung 
swinging  at  the  back  of  our  vehicle.  There  stood  our 
carriage,  resting  in  quiet  magnificence  on  a  crutch  ; 
while  three  negroes  rode  abreast  of  us,  raising  a 
cloud  of  dust  behind  them.  These  were  Joe,  and 
two  assistants,  riding  on  the  carriage  horses,  and  one 
of  our  relays.  After  two  or  three  miles,  we  drew  up 
at  a  house  of  entertainment.  The  wheel  was  despatch, 
ed  to  a  blacksmith's  a  mile  further,  and  we  alighted. 
We  found  ourselves  in  the  very  palace  of  intempe- 
rance and  unthrift, — an  idle  landlord — a  silly,  lazy 
landlady — stupid  servants.  But  then  it  was  not  of 
much  consequence,  as  it  was  only  for  an  hour  or 
two  ;  when  the  wheel  was  mended  we  should  push 
on  rapidly  with  our  fresh  horses,  that  were  here 
waiting  for  us.  We  had  some  dinner.  We  grew 

impatient,  for  Dr. had  charged  us,  as  we  valued 

our  lives,  to  go  forty  miles  from  Charleston  that 
night ;  and  here  we  were,  many  miles  short.  The 
sun  went  down !  the  twilight  deepened  into  night, 
and  still  the  wheel  came  not !  - 

Mr.  A          went  to  investigate,  and  we  had  then  a 
cause  of  anxiety  in  his  exposure  to  the  noxious  night 


332  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

air.  A  servant  came  to  light  a  fire  on  the  hearth, 
a  precaution  that  plainly  contradicted  the  assurance 
that  every  body  considered  the  place  perfectly  healthy. 
The  frogs  sent  up  loud  and  shrill  croaks  all  about  us, 
a  sure  proof  that  we  were  surrounded  by  swamps. 
The  windows  were  broken,  the  dim  flame  of  the 
candle  flickered,  and  we  fancied  we  felt  the  malaria 
and  breathed  infection.  Oh  what  an  hour  !  Some 
fine  black-berries  were  on  the  table  ;  we  tried  to  taste 
them,  we  tried  to  look  cheerful,  and  to  talk.  At  last 

Mr.  A came  in.    The  wheel  was  mended,  but  we 

must  resign  ourselves  to  our  fate  for  the  night,  and  if 
all  were  well  in  the  morning,  we  would  proceed  ;  that 
some  one  would  be  ill,  we  expected,  for  we  had  de- 
cided that  it  would  be  almost  a  miracle  if  all  should 
escape.  Let  no  one  ridicule  our  fears  ;  there  was 
ground  for  apprehension.  We  had  been  told  to  flee 
as  if  the  pestilence  were  behind  us.  No  wonder 

that  we  lay  down  ito  sleep  with  heavy  hearts.     B 

said  he  would  sit  up  all  night,  having  heard  that  the 

only  danger  was  in  sleeping.    M and  I  suffocated 

ourselves  with  a  roaring  fire  to  purify  our  portion 
of  the  atmosphere.  Morning  came,  and  we  looked 
on  ourselves  and  each  other,  to  be  sure  that  all  was 
as  well  as  it  seemed.  We  waited  awhile  for  the  fogs 
to  disperse,  and  set  off.  George,  a  more  comely 
but  equally  sedate  negro,  was  our  driver  now ;  and 
Joe  followed  us  a  few  miles  with  the  extra  horses. 
At  the  breakfast  house  we  exchanged  the  animals, 
and  bade  honest  Joe  farewell.  It  would  have  done 
any  heart  good  to  see  how  the  wrinkles  had  been 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  333 

slackened  since  the  accident.  His  eyes  actually 
glistened  with  animation  as  he  looked  his  last  on  us, 
and  felt  the  responsibility  of  our  safe  conveyance 
lifted  off  his  shoulders.  Though  the  weather  was 
warm,  and  our  ride  about  twice  the  length  we  origin, 
ally  intended,  that  day  passed  pleasantly,  the  wheel 
seemed  strong.  Night  came  on,  and  brought  us  to 

a  certain  Mr. 's,  a  great  barn  of  a  house,  the  mis- 

tress  absent,  and  he  idle  and  moody  in  his  "  solitude." 
He  was  a  youth,  and  perhaps  longed  for  some  better 
companion  than  his  absent  mother.  Let  silence  and 
oblivion  cast  a  veil  over  the  wretchedness  of  our  en- 
tertainment ;  the  sour  bread,  the  sour  milk,  the  broken 
tea-cups,  the  leaden  spoons.  Let  forgetfulness  take 
into  her  keeping  the  long  dark  chambers  to  which 
we  were  consigned  for  the  night !  Let  the  reports 
of  country  fever,  and  all  manner  of  diseases,  even  to 
the  measles,  that  excited  anew  our  scarcely  laid  ap- 
prehensions, never  be  recalled. 

What  cheering  intelligence  greeted  us  next  morn- 
ing,  as  we  appeared  with  our  bonnets  on,  all  ready 
to  ride  !  One  of  our  horses  was  foundered  ;  he  had 
met  with  his  misfortune  some  years  before,  but  had 
been  considered  good  enough  for  our  purpose,  and 
his  exertions  of  the  day  before  had  brought  on  a 
second  attack.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Our  host 
at  length  consented  to  lend  us  a  horse  for  the  next 
ten  miles,  and  we  started.  On  we  went,  stopping  at 
every  house  to  try  for  a  horse,  admonished  thereto 
by  the  little  boy  sitting  beside  George  on  the  box, 
ready  to  take  the  other  back  as  soon  as  his  place 


331  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

should  be  supplied.  We  found  only  women  and  chil- 
dren in  every  house ;  the  men  were  in  the  fields. 
This  betokened  industry,  and  we  should  have  com- 
mended  it  at  any  other  time ;  but  now  we  wanted  to 
hire  a  horse,  and  no  woman  could  venture  to  accom- 
modate us.  We  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  ten  miles, 
mounted  our  retainer,  despatched  him  home  and  con- 
sidered.   The  stage  would  leave  Columbia  the 

next  morning,  and  not  again  for  several  days.  On 
we  must  go.  We  stated  our  case  to  "  mine  host,"  he 
stated  it  to  his  neighbors,  and  at  last,  after  prolonged 
preliminaries,  and  solemn  injunctions  to  take  care  of 
him,  a  horse  was  procured.  On  we  went  till  noon, 
more  at  ease,  and  remarking  the  beauty  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  improved  appearance  of  cultivation.  Cot- 
ton fields  and  corn  fields,  hills  and  running  streams, 
spoke  of  health  and  comfort.  About  noon  we  ap- 
prehended a  thunder  shower,  and  moreover  held  a 
consultation  over  the  wheel,  which  showed  incipient 
symptoms  of  a  relapse.  But  we  went  on,  kept  in 
advance  of  the  rain,  and  at  last  lost  all  trace  of 
it.  As  the  sun  began  to  decline,  and  the  miles  to 
grow  fewer,  our  spirits  rose.  The  Oak,  Hickory, 
Chesnut,  and  Chinkapen  trees  never  looked  so  fresh 
and  lovely,— the  fields  of  grain  were  never  so  vivid- 
ly green  as  in  the  level  rays  of  that  sunset ;  and 
when  from  a  high  hill  we  caught  a  distant  view  of  Co- 
lumbia, we  drew  a  long  breath  of  perfect  satisfaction. 
We  rolled  slowly  over  the  covered  bridge  that  crosses 
the  Congaree  at  this  place,  turning  our  heads  every 
moment  to  enjoy  from  the  windows  on  both  sides 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  335 

the  picture  of  a  rapid  foaming  river,  wooded  islands, 
and  green  banks,  feeling  as  light  of  heart  as  if  we 
had  never  known  care.  We  were  soon  set  down  at 
Clark's,  and  George  and  the  carriage  left  us  to  return 
no  more. 

The  Stage  CoacJi. 

How  glad  we  were,  when  on  the  20th  of  May  we 
seated  ourselves  in  the  leathern  convenience  which 

was  to  convey  us  on  the  rest  of  our  journey. 

The  feeling  of  responsibility  belonging  to  the  care 
of  the  private  conveyance  was  at  an  end  ;  horses, 
driver,  and  carriage  were  no  longer  our  concern  ; 
and  with  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  we  took  our  places, 
gave  a  parting  glance  at  Columbia,  that  we  might 
say  we  had  seen  it,  and  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing  drove  off  at  a  rapid  rate,  greatly  enjoying  the 
elastic  motion  given  by  four  brisk  horses.  We  found 
a  new  companion,  a  foreigner,  very  polite  and  agree- 
able,  who  reported  himself  from  Amsterdam,  travel- 
ling for  pleasure  ;  evidently  taking,  with  great  good 
nature,  things  as  they  came,  careless  of  trouble  where 
information  or  amusement  was  to  be  gained,  and  well 
acquainted  with  various  countries  of  Europe  which 
he  had  visited. 

We  had  much  pleasant  conversation,  during  which 
we  found  he  had  travelled  much  in  our  country,  and 
knew  it  well.  Dined  at  a  log-house,  the  external 
appearance  of  which  promised  little,  but  the  two 
rooms  which  composed  the  dwelling  were  neat  and 
clean.  Books,  papers,  hunting  implements,  and  a 


336  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

fine,  fat,  rosy  baby,  laughing  good-humouredly  in 
its  cradle,  told  us,  as  plainly  as  such  things  could, 
that  the  master  and  mistress  had  enjoyments  beyond 
the  daily  drudgery  of  life.  They  were  a  good-look- 
ing  couple,  and  gave  us  a  plain  but  decent  dinner, 
much  better  got  up  than  usual ;  which  we  .all  attribu- 
ted to  the  personal  exertions  of  the  hostess,  who  did 
not  leave  us  to  the  care  of  servants,  but  attended  to 
the  management  of  the  establishment  herself.  Had 
a  pleasant  drive  that  day— "  pottered"  a  good  deal, 
and  read  Fanny  Kemble — reached  Newberry  about 
5  P.  M. 


The  Blue  Ridge. 

Enlivened  by  the  clear  and  full-toned  notes  of  the 
stage-horn,  and  assured  that  our  driver  was  a  first- 
rate  whip,  we  left  Greenville  in  full  spirits,  anticipat- 
ing a  day  of  much  interest  and  amusement.  The 
glories  of  the  Blue  Ridge  had  been  vividly  depicted 
to  us,  and  in  faith  that  all  would  be  right,  we  com- 
menced the  first  of  June.  There  were  various  rea- 
sons, too,  for  satisfaction  ;  we  were  alone  in  the  stage, 
and  whether  or  not  the  feeling  be  selfish,  yet  true  it 
is  that  we  cared  not  for  any  addition  to  our  numbers. 
We  had  a  self-satisfied  feeling,  which,  as  the  poet 
hath  it, 

"  Cared  not  for  the  world  without, 
Knowing  It  had  its  world  within." 

Moreover,  our  effects,  baskets,  books,  port-folios, 


NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  337 

&c.,  were  all  snugly  deposited.  Their  fair  propor- 
tions were  not  diminished  in  any  way,  and  if  they 
could  have  spoken,  they  would  doubtless  have  express, 
ed  their  comfort,  and  protested  against  any  innova- 
tion. Merrily  went  we  on,  the  lamps  attached  to  the 
carriage  cast  a  flickering  light  on  the  passing  ob- 
jects ;  and  once,  when  we  stopped  to  water  the  horses, 
threw  their  glare  on  the  face  of  our  driver,  display- 
ing a  good-natured  rosy  rotundity  of  Phiz,  which 
told  more  of  the  roguish  boy  than  the  age  and  so- 
briety desirable  in  one  holding  so  responsible  a  sta- 
tion. But  our  landlord  said  he  was  a  "  first-rate 
whip," — so  we  went  on  in  faith. 

Day  dawned,  and  the  long  line  of  mountains 
stretched  on  our  right  its  dark  outline,  coldly  con- 
trasted with  the  fair  blue  sky,  from  which,  serene 
and  bright  in  its  silver  beauty,  shone  out  the  morn- 
ing star.  Nature  was  scarce  awakened  into  con- 
sciousness, the  giant  of  the  course  had  not  yet  put 
on  his  robes  of  glory,  and  this  fair  herald  of  the 
morn  sat  quietly  watching  for  his  appearance,  be- 
fore whose  more  effulgent  beams  she  retired  in  maid- 
en modesty. — 


And  see, 


On  wings  of  glory,  up  the  east  he  shines," 

giving,  as  it  were,  a  renewed  energy  to  our  Jehu's 
whip ;  for  rapidly  and  more  rapid  went  our  steeds, 
while  we  rode  up  to  the  humble  door  of  the  widow 
F****'s.  Here  we  were  to  breakfast ;  and  the  exter- 
nals, though  plain,  promised  fairly.  There  was  an  air 
29 


338  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

of  neatness  about  the  premises,  and  on  a  chair  at 
the  door  lay  a  large  old  Bible,  which  looked  as  if  it 
had  not  been  opened  for  the  first  time  that  morning. 
The  widow  was  a  trig  old  lady,  who  gave  us  a  good 
breakfast ;  she  had  lived  there,  she  told  us,  thirty-nine 
years,  had  lost  her  companion  many  years  since,  but 
she  had  much  to  be  thankful  for  in  her  solitude. 

But  ladies,  said  she,  how  do  you  like  your  driver  ? 

Oh  exceedingly,  we  answered ;  he  is  a  first-rate 
whip. 

Well,  exclaimed  she,  I'm  glad  on't ;  it's  only  the 
second  time  he  ever  drove. 

There  was  a  discovery  !  we  gazed  upon  the  widow, 
and  upon  each  other,  and  internally  congratulated 
ourselves  upon  our  safety,  and  rejoiced  in  the  posses- 
sion of  an  all-confiding  faith. 

Another  driver  and  fresh  horses  waited  the  con- 
elusion  of  our  meal,  which  was  rapidly  discussed, 
and,  much  strengthened  by  the  creature-comforts  we 
had  appropriated,  we  took  our  seats  ;  and  having 
exchanged  adieus  with  our  good-humored  and  reck- 
less boy  driver,  went  on  our  way  on  a  very  rough 
road,  over  the  very  stony  parts  of  which  our  driver 
would  "  tote"  us  to  the  sound  of  his  whip.  Merrits- 
ville  was  down  on  the  map  ;  of  course  it  must  be  a 
place  of  more  or  less  consequence,  and  we  looked  out 
for  Merritsville.  Eighteen  miles  were  gone  over, 
and  a  house  by  the  way-side  proved  the  place  so  no- 
ticed on  the  map  and  so  desired  by  us. 

We  began  to  ascend  the  Saluda  Mountain ;  the 
road  was  very  rough  and  winding,  and  our  horses 


NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  339 

gave  evident  symptoms  of  weariness.  The  thick 
woods  on  either  side  were  dressed  in  their  light  and 
dark  shades  of  green  interspersed  with  the  wild  yel- 
low honey-suckle,  displaying  its  rich  blossoms  in 
every  direction,  and  discovering  here  and  there 
many  a  humble  flower  half  hidden  by  the  grass,  or 
peeping  out  as  if  in  wonder  at  the  sounds  which  dis- 
tracted its  tranquillity.  The  giant  of  the  heavens 
was  putting  forth  his  strength,  and  we  were  drooping 
beneath  his  power,  when  lo  !  water  in  the  wilder, 
ness,  clear  and  sparkling,  cold  and  pure  from  its 
granite  basin,  gave  life  to  our  failing  energies,  and 
told  that  some  philanthropic  spirit  had,  in  kindness 
to  the  way-faring,  furnished  this  blessed  beverage  to 
recruit  the  fainting  traveller. 

The  water  of  this  spring  is  brought  through  pipes 
a  short  distance  down  the  hill,  and  spouting  through  a 
stop  in  its  granite  slab,  falls  into  a  basin  of  the  same 
material.  On  the  slab  is  the  simple  and  modest 
inscription,  "  J.  R.  Pk  1823."  For  this  conveyance 
and  luxury,  travellers  are  indebted  to  Joel  R.  Poin- 
sett,  Esq.  of  Charleston,  who,  being  a  commissioner 
for  making  the  road,  erected  this  fountain  at  his  pri- 
vate expense.  Much  refreshed,  We  continued  our 
drive,  the  road  becoming  every  moment  more  rough 
and  difficult  of  ascent.  The  scenery  was  as  wild 
and  beautiful  as  imagination  could  picture ;  hill  and 
valley  lay  before  us ;  the  sparkling  waters  of  the 
Saluda  river,  which  takes  its  rise  in  this  mountain, 
were  rushing  past  like  a  silver  stream,  now  wider, 
now  narrower,  and  dashing  in  foam  over  the  rocks 


340  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

which  intercepted  its  passage.  Above,  the  heavy 
clouds  were  slowly  and  awfully  gathering  in  their 
strength,  and  nature  around  lay  in  that  stillness 
which  awaits  some  dreadful  event.  There  was  a 
corresponding  silence  within  the  coach,  except  when 
it  gave  a  heavy  lurch  to  one  side,  warning  us  to 
hold  up  on  the  other.  This  revolution  was  not  un- 
frequent,  and  we  were  being  well  drilled  into  the  ex- 
ercise, when  a  sudden  plunge  towards  the  horses,  set 
them  off,  and  down  the  mountain  they  tore.  For- 
getful of  their  weariness,  careless  alike  of  their  own, 
or  the  necks  of  those  who  came  after  them,  they 
pitched  us  about  without  mercy  ;  and  with  a  preci- 
pice on  one  side  of  the  narrow  road,  our  visions 
were  not  of  the  most  elevated  nature,  but,  like  other 
visions,  they  passed  rapidly,  and  we  were  soon  after 
brought  up  at  Flat  Rock,  where  we  had  a  good  din- 
ner and  a  pretty  woman  in  our  hostess.  This  is  a 
pleasant,  retired,  cool  looking  place  ;  and  in  its  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  are  several  handsome  houses, 
the  retreat  of  Charlestonians,  who  come  here  in  the 
summer  to  rusticate. 

Among  others,  we  passed  the  residence  of  Mr.  Bar- 
ing ;  saw  the  house  in  the  distance,  extensive  grounds 
handsomely  laid  out,  and  on  an  eminence  near  the 
road  a  pretty  church  of  the  Episcopal  order,  erected 
by  Mrs.  Baring.  We  stopped  to  water  the  horses,  all 
feeling  weary,  and  little  able  to  encounter  the  storm 
which  was  encompassing  us ;  and  sure  enough  it 
came  an  "  even  down  power"  of  rain,  accompanied 
with  thunder  and  lightning*  and  such  hail  stones  ! 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     341 

Night  approached  ;  our  best  light  was  from  the  flash- 
es  lent  by  the  heavens,  and  yet  we  had  to  plod  on. 
Thus  we  went  for  several  miles,  when  the  rain  (from 
which  the  cloaks  and  coats  in  which  we  were  en- 
shrouded,  scarcely  protected  us)  abated,  and,  after 
dragging  on  some  distance  further,  we  arrived  at 
Ashville. 

French  Broad  River. — Paint  Rock. 

We  had  heard  of  the  French  Broad  River,  a  tri- 
butary of  the  Tennessee,  as  singularly  romantic  in 
its  passage  among  the  Alleghany  Mountains ;  and  the 
ride  along  its  banks  had  been  represented  to  us  very 
fatiguing  and  somewhat  dangerous ;  so  that,  when 
summoned  to  take  our  places  in  the  stage-coach,  we 
felt  an  unusual  degree  of  excitement.  It  was  two  in 
the  morning,  very  dark,  and  the  coach  crowded. 

As  day  approached,  I  perceived  that  beyond  the 
row  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  bordered  my  side  of  the 
road,  there  seemed  a  deep  precipice,  and  the  murmur 
that  had  for  an  hour  risen  from  behind  this  thick  hedge, 
began  to  deepen  into  the  dash  and  roar  of  waters. 
On  turning  an  angle  of  the  road,  we  had  our  first  view 
of  the  river,  and  for  an  hour  I  saw  nothing  but  the 
river,  for  I  felt  that  I  could  never  be  satisfied  with 
watching  its  endless  variety  of  motion.  The  whole 
course  of  the  French  Broad  is  over  a  bed  of  rocks, 
and  there  is  a  body  of  water  sufficient  to  give  gran, 
deur  to  the  rapidity  of  its  descent.  During  the  thir. 
ty-six  miles  we  followed  it,  the  fall  is  1300  feet,  and 
its  whole  surface  is  a  sheet  of  foam,  from  its  impe- 
29* 


342  NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

tuosity,  and  the  obstacles  it  meets.  Masses  of  white 
and  pale  gray  rock,  in  every  variety  of  form,  stand 
up  in  the  channel,  and  brave  the  angry  dashing  of 
the  waters  they  oppose.  Here,  after  one  leap  of 
ten  or  twelve  feet,  the  river  keeps  a  comparatively 
tranquil  course,  over  hidden  rocks,  till  a  group  of 
green  islands  parts  it  into  as  many  channels,  and 
then  suddenly  re-uniting  the  whole  combined  force,  it 
is  bent  upon  a  ledge  of  rocks  that  extends  half  way 
from  shore  to  shore.  Here  an  elevation  from  one 
side  turns  the  current  into  a  curve,  and  the  next  mo- 
ment we  have  a  dashing  wave  breaking  beside  us. 
I  fixed  my  eyes  on  a  little  flake  of  foam  that  was 
pursuing  its  course  alone.  I  followed  it  as  it  was 
borne  along  by  the  winding  current.  I  saw  it  safely 
carried  down  the  rapids,  around  high  rocks,  till  it 
danced  round  and  round  the  verge  of  a  whirlpool, 
and  left  it  there  at  play  with  a  withered  leaf  and  a 
broken  twig.  Was  it  not  like  the  beings  who  for- 
get the  urgent  errand  of  their  immortality  among  the 
trifles  of  time  ?  I  saw  a  fallen  tree,  that  maintained 
its  place  by  a  hold  on  the  bank,  and  amid  this  rush 
and  confusion  lay  tranquilly  intent  on  collecting 
what  it  might ;  straws,  leaves,  and  even  drifted  blos- 
soms had  fallen  into  its  toils,  and  it  would  not  let  them 
go.  Are  there  not  beings,  who,  like  the  tree,  are  in- 
tent only  on  accumulating,  and  indifferent  to  the 
chances  and  changes  of  time,  except  as  they  add  to 
their  stores  ?  I  saw  one  long,  low,  and  fairy  island, 
so  covered  with  laurel  flowers,  mingled  with  green 
graceful  foliage,  that  I  could  have  fancied  one  huge 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     343 

bouquet  bound  up  and  cast  here  to  float  along  the  tide. 
But  my  fancies  and  moralizings  were  interrupted  by 
exclamations  from  my  companions,  and  my  own 
awakened  sense,  that  in  seeing  all  this  beauty  we 
were  encountering  some  peril.  The  road  we  were 
passing  over  was  entirely  artificial — a  wall  of  broken 
rocks  lightly  covered  with  earth,  so  very  narrow  that 
our  wheels  almost  dipped  in  the  water,  and  often 
carried  so  high  from  the  river,  that  a  deviation  of  a 
foot  from  the  path  would  have  been  destruction. 

M ,  and  all  on  her  side  of  the  coach,  were  exclaim. 

ing  about  the  immense  rocks  that  overhung  the  other 
side  of  the  road,  and  my  glimpses  of  them  through 
the  window  realized  something  of  their  fearful  gran- 
deur  ;  but  after  I  was  fully  awake  to  the  danger  of 
the  path,  I  could  not  keep  my  eyes  from  the  brink. 
Our  stranger  ladies  were  groaning  and  expressing 
their  fears,  and  one  gentleman  was  holding  forth  on 
all  that  might  happen.  I  questioned  him  about  the 
road,  and  learned,  that  until  the  last  eight  years, 
there  had  been  no  outlet  for  the  produce  of  East 
Tennessee,  or  inlet  for  the  good  things  from  abroad , 
to  the  unhappy  people  imprisoned  there  ;  that  a  pas. 
sage  over  the  mountain  was  sometimes  attempted,  but 
it  was  death  to  men  and  horses.  Under  this  state  of 
things,  a  company  was  incorporated  to  construct  a 
road  over  a  certain  mountain,  and  along  the  French 
Broad  River,  and  succeeded,  after  several  years'labour 
and  immense  expenditure.  Most  of  the  foundation  of 
the  river-road  had  been  forced  from  the  cliffs  above 
by  blasting,  and  that  in  places  where  the  task  seem- 


344  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

ed  hopeless.  He  said  it  was  already  a  very  profit- 
able undertaking,  for  the  number  of  wagons  passing 
over  this  turnpike  every  year  was  immense,  and  that 
without  this  road  he  would  not  give  one  cent  for  East 
Tennessee.  He  seemed  a  very  sensible  sort  of  man, 
but  he  ought  not  to  have  enlarged  so  on  our  danger, 
and  pointed  out  every  rock  that  stood  loosely  over 
our  heads,  and  might  fall  very  easily.  We  all  tried 
to  forget  our  fears,  and  there  was  enough  of  interest 
to  help  us.  The  water's  edge  was  bordered  with 
young  willows,  oaks,  and  tall  trees  of  laurel  in  full 
bloom.  The  Rhododendron  was  not  yet  in  flower, 
but  it  stood  in  heavy  masses  of  green-pointed  leaves. 
I  had  no  idea  of  such  quantities,  or  of  the  height  to 
which  it  grew.  Many  of  the  trees  were  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  in  length.  ,*» 

The  wet  leaves  often  dashed  in  our  faces,  but  we 
rather  welcomed  them,  for  we  felt  that  the  trees 
would  be  a  slight  barrier  to  our  fall  in  case  we  should 
be  jolted  off  the  edge.  The  extreme  loneliness  of  the 
road  struck  me  as  singular.  Now  and  then  an  over- 
grown  toad  hobbled  off  at  the  rattling  of  our  wheels, 
and  once  we  saw  a  solitary  fisherman,  seated  on  a 
log,  so  intent  on  his  occupation  that  he  did  not  raise 
his  head  to  look  at  us.  It  did  not  surprise  me  to 
find  no  inhabitants  where  there  was  not  a  level  spot 
for  a  house,  but  I  was  expecting  and  dreading  an  en- 
counter  with  other  travellers.  I  do  not  know  what 
can  be  done  in  that  case,  for  the  road  is  too  narrow 
to  admit  of  vehicles  passing,  or  even  turning  about. 
At  last  we  came  to  the  breakfast  house,  which  stood 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  345 

in  a  niche  apparently  forced  out  of  the  rock.  And 
here,  owing  to  an  important  change  in  my  situation 
to  the  opposite  window  of  the  coach,  an  entire  revo- 
lution in  my  train  of  ideas  commenced.  The  scene 
of  danger  from  below  was  no  longer  forced  upon  me, 
and  if  I  might  have  apprehended  a  greater  danger 
from  above,  the  fear  was  lost  in  the  grandeur  of  the 
objects  I  beheld — roc*ks,  massive  ancient  rocks,  in 
every  variety  of  form,  and  hue,  and  position.  Here 
they  towered  hundreds  of  feet  above  our  heads,  with 
their  grey  severity  unrelieved  by  even  a  twig  or  a 
leaf.  Here  was  a  vast  rock,  worn  smooth,  and  round- 
ed  by  its  descentTrom  some  high  point  above,  rest- 
ing now  on  some  slight  obstruction,  ready  to  move 
on  without  a  moment's  warning.  Here  was  a  mass 
of  rock,  worn  into  little  fragments  by  the  action  of 
the  elements,  still  retaining  its  show  of  solidity,  but 
falling  in  a  shower  of  pebbles  at  every  touch.  The 
arrangement  of  the  strata  of  rocks  varied  at  every 
step.  Here  stood  a  range,  which  was  almost  as  regu. 
larly  perpendicular  as  columns,  or  as  the  volumes 
on  the  shelves  of  a  library.  Here  they  lay,  like  the 
books  that  have  fallen  when  two  or  three  have  been 
removed ;  and  here  again  they  were  piled  one  above 
another,  like  the  same  books  reposing  on  a  table. 
Under  some  of  the  largest  rocks,  and  where  they 
seemed  to  need  the  strongest  support,  yawned  cavi- 
ties large  enough  to  have  received  stage  and  horses. 
Often  the  eye  was  refreshed  by  the  rich  green  of  the 
shrubbery,  covering  all  the  ruggedness  of  the  cliffs, 
and  waving  from  the  top,  Bright  wild  flowers  peep. 


346  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

ed  from  the  rugged  crevices,  and  laughed  at  their  se- 
curity from  all  our  attempts.  One  little  crimson 
flower  attracted  our  particular  admiration,  and  for 
want  of  a  better  name  we  called  it  the  scarlet  lichen. 
There  were  many  beautiful  little  streams  that  came 
leaping  from  the  rocks  above,  and  dashed  over  the 
narrow  road  into  the  river.  In  one  spot  we  traced 
the  little  stream  from  its  first  trickling  descent,  down 
five  or  six  successive  falls,  till  it  was  received  in  a 
natural  basin,  and  afforded  a  delicious  draught  for  us 
and  the  horses.  I  must  not  forget  one  or  two  at- 
tempts  to  take  agricultural  advantage  of  a  little  soft- 
ening down  of  ruggedness  of  the  mountain  side. 
The  scattered  grain  stood  up  among  young  oaks 
and  cedars,  as  if  it  was  frightened  at  its  own  teme- 
rity. At  last,  after  being  successively  delighted  and 
alarmed  for  many  hours,  we  crossed  the  roaring 
river  on  a  frail  bridge,  to  look  for  a  few  moments 
at  the  warm  spring,  which  is  remarkable  for  nothing 
but  its  temperature.  We  recrossed  the  river,  and 
took  the  narrow  path  once  more ;  but,  instead  of  be- 
ing simply  as  dangerous  as  it  was  before,  it  now  be- 
gan to  ascend  the  cliff  only  wide  enough  for  the 
wheels,  so  that  a  foot  of  deviation  would  have  car- 
ried us  over  the  brink.  The  road  rose  gradually 
till  the  cliff  above  diminished  into  nothing  compar- 
ed with  the  precipice  below,  and  our  hearts  seemed 
for  a  few  moments  to  stop  beating.  We  were  moving 
along  the  verge  of  a  precipice  of  more  than  300 
feet.  The  river  was  roaring  and  foaming  at  its 
foot.  To  add  to  the  terrors  of  the  place,  the  road 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  347 

had  been  much  washed,  and  shelved  fearfully.  In 
one  spot  the  outer  wheel  entered  a  deep  rut  :  the 
whole  body  of  the  coach  hung  over  the  precipice, 
the  inner  wheels  were  raised  from  the  ground  ;  one 
inch  more  of  elevation,  and  we  were  gone.  But  the 
dangerous  pass  was  soon  accomplished,  and  we  rode 
on  in  comparative  tranquillity.  We  went  on  follow- 
ing the  river  till  nearly  sunset,  when  we  came  un- 
der the  walls  of  the  celebrated  Paint  Rock.  We 
had  heard  of  the  singular  appearance  of  this  rock, 
from  several  marks  of  a  deep  orange  colour,  so  arti- 
ficial as  to  seem  the  work  of  man,  and  yet  in  such 
places  as  seemed  inacccessible.  But  we  were  not 
prepared  for  the  imposing  effect  of  the  vast  pile  un- 
der which  we  found  ourselves.  For  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  it  rose  above  us  a  perpendicular  wall 
of  250  feet  in  height.  The  solid  unbroken  surface 
was  yet  so  checkered  by  apparent  fissures,  that  it 
seemed  hewn  and  heaped  up  by  human  labor  ;  and  it 
needed  but  little  effort  of  the  imagination  to  see  in  it 
a  frowning  Gothic  castle,  with  battlements  and  arch- 
ed door-way.  In  one  spot,  under  a  projection  of  the 
rock,  the  wagoners  had  fitted  a  temporary  shelter ; 
and  the  smoke  of  their  frequent  fires  had  blackened 
over  the  whole  line  of  upward  surface.  We  turned 
the  corner  of  this  vast  monument,  and  bade  farewell 
to  the  river,  and  moved  and  breathed  in  Tennessee. 


348     NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

The  Red  Sulphur,  the  Salt  Sulphur,  and  the  White 
Sulphur  Springs. 

About  6  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  below  us  the  white  cottages  and 
green  lawns  which  fill  up  the  little  sequestered  valley 
of  the  Red  Sulphur  Springs.  In  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  we  were  dashing  round  the  circle  before  the 
hotel,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  took  possession  of 
quarters  in  "  Philadelphia  Row." 

What  deepest  green  valley  the  wide  earth  knows, 
Once  offered  four  wearied  wanderers  repose, 
Where  o'er  a  cool  fount  a  white  temple  rose  1 

'Twas  the  Red  Sulphur  Springs. 

Fair  white  buildings  are  ranged  round  the  green, 
Clean  gravel  walks  run  these  buildings  between, 
Groups  of  gay  people  around  are  seen, 

Oh!  the  Red  Sulphur  Springs. 

Buxom  blithe  health  flies  to  sip  at  the  fount, 
Sickness  so  feebly  comes  down  from  the  mount, 
The  grave  and  the  gay,  quite  too  many  to  count, 
Meet  to  drink  at  the  Springs. 

Here  are  belles  from  the  city,  with  beaux  in  their  train, 
Here  are  dowager  dames,  here  are  pretty  and  plain, 
Health,  pleasure,  or  fortune,  each  one  tries  to  gain, 
So  they  come  to  the  Springs. 

Whatever  the  motive  of  feeling,  which  brings 
To  this  spot  all  these  bipeds,  you'd  think  they  had  wings, 
For  they  fly  the  moment  the  dinner  bell  rings, 
Fast  away  from  the  Springs. 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  349 

And  dressed  in  their  gayest,  as  quick  as  they're  able, 
They  seek  for  their  names  or  their  plates  at  the  table, 
And  make  such  a  racket  you'd  think  'twas  a  Babel 
Rose  anew  at  the  Springs. 

Do  but  see  that  thin  lady,  what  mouthfuls  she  takes; — 
And  waiter !  stop,  waiter,  some  more  batter-cakes, 
Some  cream,  and  the  butter,  those  venison  steaks 
I  must  eat  at  the  Springs. 

Who  would  think  of  their  ailments  when  luxury  lies 
So  temptingly  near  us,  just  under  our  eyes  1 
Oh  waiter,  those  batter-cakes ; — how  the  man  flies, 
They're  all  mad  at  the  Springs. 

But  avaunt,  creature  comforts  !  we'll  turn  now  from  you, 
To  the  joys  of  the  mind,  which  in  visits  we  knew, 
And  which  over  our  mornings  and  afternoons  threw 
A  delight  at  the  Springs. 

Then  we  sat  in  our  room  ;  we  worked,  talked,  and  read, 
Our  table  with  books  and  with  needle-work  spread ; 
It  was  yet  in  more  style  that  withal  was  a  bed, — 
'Twas  the  way  at  the  Springs. 

"We  trod  the  piazza  both  early  and  late, 
But  'tis  useless  on  joys  that  are  past  to  dilate, 
Since  too  soon  came  the  day  on  which  'twas  our  fate 
To  leave  the  Red  Springs. 

Let  all  who  seek  health,  with  comfort  and  quiet, 
Let  the  gay  who  love  pleasure  without  any  riot, 
Come  down  this  steep  mountain,  and  hasten  to  try  it, 
They'll  like  the  Red  Springs. 

We  left  the  Red  Sulphur  at  6  o'clock  on  Thursday 
morning,  after  enjoying  a  comfortable  little  breakfast 
sent  to  us  in  our  own  room  ;  we  were  the  only  passen- 
30 


350  NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

gers,  and  set  off  with  an  agreeable  prospect  of  reach- 
ing  Fincastle  by  Sunday.  We  rode  on,  passing 
over  rough  roads  and  dangerous  places  that  would 
have  frightened  us  before  we  had  passed  over  worse. 
We  stopped  at  the  Salt  Sulphur  Springs,  seventeen 
miles  from  the  Red,  tasted  the  water,  but  were  not 
in  suitable  trim  to  test  the  grounds  of  the  reputation 
this  house  enjoyed.  Ranges  of  white-washed  log 
cabins  are  scattered  over  a  bright  green  enclosure, 
but  the  natual  beauties  of  the  situation  are  far  infe- 
rior to  those  of  the  Red  Spring.  We  dined  at  a 
thorough  temperance  house,  with  a  smiling  landlord  ; 
and  after  passing  over  seven  miles  of  noted  rough 
road,  found  ourselves  on  the  five  miles  of  smooth 
turnpike,  near  the  White  Sulphur  Springs.  The 
inferiority  of  accommodation  at  this  fashionable 
watering-place  had  been  fully  set  before  us,  and  we 
had  no  intention  of  staying  longer  than  till  the  first 
stage-coach  should  depart  for  Fincastle.  Contra- 
ry to  the  positive  assurance  of  the  Agent,  we  found 
we  should  be  detained  till  Monday,  and  in  utter  des- 
pair we  resigned  ourselves  to  all  the  ills  of  our  situation. 
We  were  a  spectacle,  from  the  mud  which  pelted  us 
in  great  balls  all  day,  and  we  were  ushered  into  a 
drawing-room  in  which  the  ladies  were  collected  pre- 
paratory to  a  rush  into  the  tea  room,  and  were  kept 
two  hours  waiting  for  rooms  to  be  arranged. 
There  we  had  the  mortification  of  being  recogniz- 
ed by  some  of  our  fashionable  acquaintance.  We 
returned  to  the  drawing-room  after  tea,  and  wit. 
nessed  a  display  of  dress  and  airs  much  after  the 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     351 

fashion  of  Saratoga,  and  saw  the  company  scat- 
ter over  the  grounds  for  an  evening  walk.  The 
extensive  rows  of  low  white  buildings  in  every 
direction,  and  the  rich  green  of  the  trees  and 
grass,  make  the  view  pleasant,  though  there  is 
not  much  wildness  of  scenery.  After  waiting  till 
candle-light,  word  was  sent  us  that  our  cabin  was 
not  ready,  but  we  could  go  over  if  we  chose  ;  we 
sat  a  short  time  on  the  piazza,  until  the  window 
sashes  could  be  put  into  their  places,  and  many  pre- 
liminaries could  be  settled  about  bedsteads  and  bed- 
ding  ;  and  at  last,  after  five  hours  waiting  for  a  room, 
composed  ourselves  for  the  night,  heedless  of  the  at- 
tractions  of  the  gay  saloon.  It  rained  powerfully 
the  next  morning  ;  we  ladies  breakfasted  in  our  own 
room,  and  dined  there  also,  not  liking  to  walk  through 
the  long  wet  grass.  We  passed  the  day  quietly, 
sewing  and  writing,  as  if  we  were  any  where  but  in 
the  midst  of  the  gaieties  of  a  celebrated  watering- 
place. 

Owing  to  the  numerous  visitors  at  the  White  Sul- 
phur Springs,  and  our  consequent  scanty  accommo- 
dations, we  gladly  accepted  a  proposal  that  we  should 
depart  sooner  than  we  had  expected,  in  a  new  and 
very  elegant  coach,  running  for  the  first  time  to 
Lexington.  We  proceeded  as  far  as  Callahan's,  fif- 
teen miles,  to  pass  the  first  night.  We  sat  down  at  a 
plentiful  table,  and  feasted  to  our  hearts'  content. 
At  breakfast,  a  party  of  travellers  entertained  us 
with  an  account  of  a  recent  upset ;  they  soon  drove 
off,  and  our  coach  came  to  the  door.  We  were  go. 


352      NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

ing  to  take  our  seats,  when  the  horses  gave  a  sudden 
whirl,  which  would  have  overturned  the  coach,  but 
for  the  presence  of  mind  of  the  driver,  and  set  off  at 
full  speed.  All  was  confusion  ;  some  of  the  by-stand- 
ers  shouted,  one  man  ran  after  them,  and  caught 
one  of  the  horses  by  the  reins,  and  hung  on  for  some 
distance,  but  failed  to  stop  them.  They  were  out 
of  sight  in  a  moment ;  the  agent  mounted  a  horse, 
and  set  out  to  see  what  had  become  of  them.  We 
four,  and  two  other  passengers,  stood  looking  at 
each  other  in  silence.  We  were  soon  told  that  the 
horses  had  never  been  put  together  before,  and  that 
one  of  them  had  never  been  in  harness  till  now  in 
his  life,  but  great  confidence  was  expressed  in  the 
skill  of  the  driver ;  and  it  was  moreover  suggested, 
that  if  the  coach  should  be  in  a  condition  to  proceed, 
the  horses  would  be  probably  all  the  better  for  this 
previous  exercise.  •  We  left  the  gentlemen  discuss- 
ing  probabilities,  and  walked  forward,  determined  to 
be  guided  by  appearances.  We  had  gone  nearly 
two  miles,  when  our  fellow-travellers  overtook  us, 
two  walking  and  one  on  horseback.  They  brought 
word  that  all  was  safe,  that  the  wayward  horse  was 
undergoing  some  additional  equipment  of  bit  and 
bridle  ;  and  that  the  agent,  a  very  skilful  driver,  was 
to  ride  on  the  box  to  assist.  The  vehicle  soon  ap- 
peared ;  we  saw  it  pass  a  bridge,  where  the  horses 
might  have  been  frightened  if  they  had  chosen.  We 
took  our  seats,  but  not  without  some  misgivings. 
The  person  on  the  horse,  who,  we  found>had  negotiat- 
ed an  exchange  of  seats  with  the  agent,  cast  back  some 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  353 

pitying  looks  at  us,  and  one  old  man  had  walked  still 
furthur  on,  to  be  more  sure  that  all  would  go  right 
before  he  included  himself  in  the  risk  ;  but  he  con- 
sented  to  ride  after  another  mile.  We  soon  became 
quite  interested  in  him  ;  he  was  a  plain  farmer,  dress- 
ed in  homespun,  and  said  he  had  determined  to  walk 
to  Covington,  five  miles,  and  try  to  get  a  horse  there, 
for  he  must  confess  he  was  afraid.  We  went  on  so 
safely  two  or  three  hours,  that  we  had  almost  forgot, 
ten  our  dangerous  horses,  when  they  took  a  second 
fright  at  a  Jong  beam  drawn  past  us  on  wheels. 
The  leaders  attempted  to  turn,  the  agent  sprang  off 
and  caught  them,  we  threw  open  the  door,  and  were 
on  the  ground  in  an  instant.  It  was  some  time  be- 
fore  we  could  summon  corn-age  to  take  our  places 
again,  but  there  was  no  help  in  our  case. 

Our  next  adventure  was  in  fashion  as  follows  :  we 
we  were  riding  along  the  edge  of  a  steep  brink, 
where  the  perpendicular  descent  was  from  12  to  15 
feet ;  when  the  agent  again  sprang  from  the  box,  and 
screamed  to  us  to  get  out.  The  two  doors  were 
opened  in  an  instant,  and  the  coach  empty  before  we 
had  time  to  think.  There  stood  our  leaders,  with 
their  feet  over  the  precipice,  and  the  wheel-horse, 
lying  on  the  edge,  struggling  with  one  foot  over  the 
pole  and  the  other  entangled  in  the  harness.  If  he 
had  not  fallen,  there  had  been  no  escape  for  us.  As 
soon  as  we  women  could  recover  from  the  fright,  and 
stand  without  trembling,  we  walked  on  in  a  state  of 
mind  not  to  be  envied,  leaving  half  a  dozen  men,  who 
had  run  from  a  neighboring  field,  to  assist  in  setting 
30* 


354  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

the  horse  on  his  feet,  and  repair  damages.  Our 
drive  for  the  rest  of  the  day  was  any  thing  but  agree- 
able.  We  were  forced  to  retain  our  dangerous 
horses,  as  no  arrangement  could  be  made  for  a  change 
on  the  road.  The  turnpike  was  smooth  and  hard, 
but  it  was  very  narrow,  and  in  many  places  carried 
so  high  that  it  was  fearful  to  look  over  ;  and  remem- 
ber, we  were  in  the  power  of  animals  which  had  once 
manifested  an  inclination  to  try  the  plunge.  Even 
Mr.  S.  who  had  in  the  morning  protested  against 
jumping  out,  under  any  circumstances,  sat  with  his 
hand  on  the  door,  and  frequently  tried  it,  to  be  sure 
that  it  could  be  opened  at  any  sudden  emergency. 
We  soon  lost  our  old  farmer,  after  he  had  earnestly 
hoped  we  might  be  under  the  protection  of  Provi- 
dence, and,  moreover,  pointed  out  his  beautiful  farm 
to  our  admiring  eyes. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  we  made  an  ex- 
change of  passengers,  taking  in  the  equestrian,  whom 
we  found  very  intelligent  and  agreeable.  .  Right 
glad  were  we  to  see  before  us  the  Dutch  place  of  en- 
tertainment kept  by  Mynheer  Armitrout,  where  we 
were  to  rest  till  morning.  It  was  an  abode  of  indus- 
try and  comfort ;  the  spinning  wheel  stood  on  the 
floor,  the  walls  were  garnished  with  skeins  of  color- 
ed yarn,  and  the  shelves  on  the  sides  of  the  room 
were  loaded  with  blankets  and  homespun  counter- 
panes in  every  variety  of  pattern  and  fringe.  We 
all  sallied  into  a  garden,  and  finding  ripe  raspber- 
ries in  abundance,  sent  a  petition  to  our  hostess  that 
we  might  be  permitted  to  gather  some  for  our  supper. 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     355 

This  was  readily  granted,  and  in  a  few  moments, 
the  travellers,  some  of  whom  had  never  met  in  their 
lives  till  that  morning,  were  scattered  over  the  gar- 
den  earnestly  engaged  in  the  common  enterprise, 
and  heaping  in  one  bowl  the  common  store. 

The  next  incident  met  us  in  the  morning  in  the 
form  of  a  foundered  horse.  To  fill  his  place,  one  of 
the  wayward  team  of  yesterday  was  pressed  into  the 
service,  and  we  set  off  to  cross  a  very  considerable 
mountain.  The  passage  over  the  "North  Moun- 
tain" deserves  a  whole  chapter  instead  of  a  passing 
notice.  The  firm,  level  road  which  leads'over  it,  has 
immortalized  Col.  Jordon,  who  undertook  and  exe- 
cuted it  after  it  had  been  pronounced  impossible  by 
an  experienced  engineer.  It  is,  indeed,  a  triumph 
of  art,  much  of  it  being  based  upon  an  artificial  wall 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high.  After  riding  for  two 
hours,  with  the  path  winding  far  above  us,  we  reach- 
ed the  summit,  and  immediately  commenced  our  de- 
scent, but  not  before  we  had  paused  awhile  to  view 
a  prospect  such  as  none  of  us  had  ever  beheld  before. 
We  stood  at  a  point  where  a  parapet  wall  guarded 
a  narrow  turn  of  the  road,  and  looked  far  down  a 
rocky  precipice  ;  while  vallies,  rich  with  harvest, 
intersected  by  roads  and  rivers,  and  adorned  with 
villages,  filled  all  the  spaces  of  mountain  ranges, 
in  all  their  possible  varieties  of  form,  and  colour,  and 
position.  It  was  a  sea  of  mountains,  with  glimmer- 
ings of  comfort  and  happiness  from  a  thousand  is- 
lands of  plenty.  With  feelings  of  superiority  to  per- 
sons who  had  only  seen  Catskill  and  Holyoke,  we 


356     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

commenced  our  rapid  descent,  and  were  safe  in  the 
valley  in  half  an  hour.  And  here  we  could  not 
help  congratulating  ourselves  that  we  had  seen  so 
many  mountains,  and  that  we  had  crossed  the  last. 
We  found  the  country  below  washed  and  confused 
from  a  recent  freshet ;  the  waters  had  subsided, 
leaving  the  harvest  prostrate — bridges  borne  away, 
and  roads  to  be  cleared  of  stones  and  drift  wood. 
As  the  new  line  was  not  expected,  a  bridge  was  want- 
ing for  its  accommodation,  but  a  passage  was  ac- 
complished by  fording  for  some  distance,  and  we 
reached  Lexington  safely  at  last,  on  the  30th  June, 
in  time  for  dinner. 

NOTE.  On  the  Jackson  river  (which,  a  few  miles 
lower  than  where  we  crossed  it  yesterday,  becomes 
the  James)  we  saw  one  of  those  wonders  that  puzzle 
geologists.  On  each  mountain  bank  of  the  stream 
is  an  arch  of  rock,  so  distinctly  marked  out,  and  so 
perfectly  corresponding,  that  the  union  of  both  at 
some  former  period  cannot  be  doubted.  The  alum 
rock  on  this  river  is  also  a  great  curiosity.  The 
rock  is  composed  of  lime-stone  and  iron  ore  ;  and 
pieces  of  sand  stone,  round  and  smooth,  are  found 
embedded.  The  alum,  which  gives  the  rock  its  name, 
is  found  there  in  a  pure  state,  and  a  spring  is  strong- 
ly impregnated  with  it. 

Lexington,  Virginia, 

Our  first  inquiries,  on  entering  the  hotel  at  Lex- 
ington, were  for  a  vehicle  to  take  us  to  the  Natural 
Bridge  that  afternoon,  that  we  might  return  in  the 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  357 

stage  the  next  morning,  proceed  to  Staunton,  and 
thus  avoid  further  loss  of  time.  To  our  surprise  and 
mortification,  not  a  carriage  of  any  kind  was  to  be 
had  ;  what  was  to  be  done  ?  Our  appetites  for  din- 
ner  were  gone,  and,  after  a  silent  meal,  we  repaired 
to  the  parlor  for  consultation — what  was  to  be  done  ? 
The  stages  only  passed  three  times  in  the  week. 
Should  we  miss  the  one  in  the  morning,  we  might  be 
detained  several  days :  but  then  to  go  without  visit- 
ing  the  Bridge,  for  a  sight  of  which  we  had  encoun- 
tered so  many  hardships  and  come  such  a  distance, 
it  was  not  to  be  thought  of;  so  we  diverged  to  other 
subjects,  wishing,  like  all  the  world,  to  keep  the  un- 
pleasant point  out  of  view  until  the  last  moment  left 
for  decision.  After  tea,  Col.  D.  paid  us  a  visit, 
with  whom  we  had  some  plrasant  conversation,  and 
from  whom  we  learned  that  Lexington  was  possessed 
of  one  of  the  oldest  colleges  in  the  state ;  founded 
by  Gen.  Washington,  from  whom  it  took  its  name. 
Washington  consented  to  receive  a  certain  sum  as 
a  compliment  from  the  State,  provided  he  might  be 
permitted  to  appropriate  it  to  some  public  institution  ; 
which  being  agreed  to,  he  endowed  "  Washington 
College  "  with  $100,000.  The  sum  of  850,000  has 
been  since  added,  but  at  present  the  institution 
is  neglected,  owing  to  the  want  of  professors,  who, 
however,  are  shortly  expected,  when  it  will,  no  doubt, 
return  to  its  former  rank  in  the  State.  Various 
matters  were  discussed,  and  at  last  the  all-important 
one  of  the  Bridge  was  brought  forward.  Our  griefs 
were  stated,  and  our  kind  friend  the  Colonel  declar. 


358     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCUHSION. 

ing  it  would  be  a  disgrace  to  Lexington  if  we  could 
not  gain  a  conveyance  to  the  Bridge,  sent  to  a  friend 
for  his  carriage  ;  this  failed,  and,  after  deploring  our 
unfortunate  case,  he  bade  us  good-night,  giving  hope, 
however,  that  there  was  one  chance  more,  and  if 
successful,  we  should  know  early  in  the  morning. 
Daylight  came,  and  with  it  the  pleasing  intelligence 
that  Major  A.'s  carriage  was  ready  for  us.  This  was 
owing  to  the  colonel's  influence  ;  so  with  a  bright  sun 
and  light  hearts  we  commenced  our  drive  to  the  Bridge, 
distant  fourteen  miles,  the  first  seven  of  which  were 
rough  enough  to  shake  dyspepsia  from  the  most  con- 
firmed  invalid.  But  the  Bridge  was  beyond,  and  we 
cared  not  for  the  ups  and  downs  which  intervened. 
At  length  the  road  improved,  the  country  became  flat 
and  less  romantic  than  it  had  been,  so  that  we  could 
scarcely  credit  all  we  had  heard  of  the  wildness  and 
romance  of  the  Bridge  scenery.  Having  been  told, 
too,  that  we  might  pass  it  without  being  aware  of 
the  fact,  we  were  now  every  moment  on  the  look- 
out.  But  hearing  at  last  that  the  hotel  was  before, 
we  were  satisfied  that  no  trick  was  intended,  and 
therefore  turned  our  eyes  to  the  dwelling  ;  at  the 
door  of  which,  to  our  surprise  and  pleasure,  stood 
Mrs.  D.  and  her  party,  who  had  just  arrived  before 
us.  Warm  were  the  greetings  on  either  side,  and 
many  the  details  of  accidents,  hopes,  and  fears,  past, 
present,  and  to  come.  After  a  short  rest,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  top  of  the  bridge.  But  who  can  de- 
scribe 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      359 

The  Natural  Bridge  ? 

After  all  that  has  been  said  and  written,  after  the 
various  engravings,  and  the  vivid  imaginings  on  all 
the  aforesaid  efforts  to  enlighten  the  public,  and  give 
a  correct  idea  of  this  most  magnificent  of  nature's 
works — after  all  these  have  failed,  as  most  assuredly 
they  have,  why  should  I  attempt  to  describe  that, 
which,  having  seen,  I  feel  it  utterly  impossible  to  dwell 
on  without  a  sense  of  mental  and  physical  weak- 
ness, which  makes  all  I  have  ever  known  dwindle 
into  insignificance,  and  my  very  frame  tremble,  as 
beneath  the  power  of  some  mighty  invisible  agent 
just  about  to  crush  me  into  nothing  ?  It  is  vain,  ut- 
terly vain  !  I  can  tell  the  length,  and  breadth,  and 
height  of  this  stupendous  structure  ;*  but  to  bring 
it  in  all  its  mighty  grandeur,  in  all  its  overpowering 
wildness,  in  all  that  vastness  which  causes  the  mind 
almost  to  lose  itself,  to  bring  it  in  its  sublime  reali- 
ty before  the  imagination  of  any  one,  is  impossible. 
To  each  and  all,  who  have  the  power  of  locomotion, 
I  would  say,  "  Go,  and  see  for  yourselves." 

But  perhaps,  for  the  amusement  or  benefit  of  those 
who  may  read  this  journal,  I  should  detail  our  own 
movements  on  this  never-to-be-forgotten  day.  To 
begin  then: — Having  rested  ourselves,  we  proceeded 
to  the  top  of  the  Bridge,  over  which  the  road  rung 
so  naturally,  and  the  trees  and  shrubbery  on  either 
side  grow  in  such  wildness,  that  few  persons,  unpre- 

^  Height,  215  feet,  span  of  arch,  90  feet,  breadth  of  arch,  75 
feet,  thickness  of  bridge,  55  feet. 


360      NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

pared  for  the  scene,  would  imagine  they  were  in  the 
vicinity  of  this  miracle  of  nature.  We  wound 
through  a  little  narrow  path,  from  the  edge  of  which 
we  gazed  into  the  abyss  below  ;  at  its  bottom  a 
narrow  stream  threads  its  way  under  the  arch,  the 
span  of  which  met  our  view  from  our  present  posi- 
tion. But  we  looked  from  a  dizzy  height  ;  an  aw- 
ful  chasm  yawned  beneath,  and  we  drew  back  with 
that  sort  of  feeling  which  induces  a  long  breath; 
the  sensation  experienced  on  a  sudden  relief  from 
danger  or  fatigue.  Having  taken  a  few  moments' 
rest  and  thought,  and  being  joined  by  Mrs.  D.,  we 
proceeded  down  the  hill  along  a  winding  path  under 
the  bridge.  It  is  from  the  first,  view  which  here 
presents  itself  that  the  engraving  is  taken,  and  though 
to  one  who  has  never  been  here,  it  can  give  no  idea 
of  the  original,  yet  it  may  serve  as  a  memorial  to 
those  who  have.  We  stood  in  silent  admiration, 
and  slowly  and  by  degrees  took  our  way  under  the 
Bridge,  on  the  face  of  which,  and  as  if  drawn  by  a 
skilful  artist,  is  the  form  of  a  spread  eagle.  Under 
its  left  wing  is  the  perfect  representation  of  a  lion's 
head,  the  eyes  and  mouth  being  distinctly  visible  : 
and,  singular  as  it  may  seem,  both  these  animals  pre- 
sent the  same  appearance  from  either  side  of  the 
Bridge.  They  are  delineated  by  a  darker  colouring 
of  the  rock,  and  at  a  little  distance  beyond  is  the 
figure  of  a  bat.  Strange  it  is  that  the  spread  eagle, 
the  national  emblem  of  our  country,  with  the  lion  of 
England  under  its  wing,  should  be  supporting,  as  it 
were,  this  most  stupendous  of  nature's  arches !  What 


NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     361 

does  it  mean  ?  Surely  it  would  seem  as  if  the  hand 
of  the  Divinity  had  imprinted  on  tables  of  stone  this 
emblem  of  our  country's  independence  and  future 
supremacy.  My  sight  failed,  and  my  neck  ached 
with  looking  up  towards  these  curious  and  mighty 
workings  of  nature.  Seating  ourselves  on  the  rocks, 
we  closed  our  eyes,  to  realize  that  we  had  the  scene 
imprinted  on  the  memory,  and  then  taking  our  way 
up  the  hill,  stopping  at  intervals  to  cast  a  long  lin- 
gering look  behind,  we  bade  farewell  to  the  Natural 
Bridge. 

Dined  at  the  house  where  we  left  our  friends,  and 
after  a  pleasant  drive,  reached  Lexington  just  be- 
fore  dark,  where  Colonel  D.  received  us,  together 
with  our  tribute  of  gratitude  for  the  enjoyment 
which  his  exertions  had  been  the  means  of  our  at. 
taining. 

Wyer'a  Cave. 

We  awoke  refreshed  after  the  fatigue  of  our  visit 
to  the  Natural  Bridge,  and  ready  to  continue  our 
pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  all- wonderful  nature.  Our 
drive  to  Staunton  was  without  incident,  and  early 
the  next  day  we  took  a  comfortable  carriage  for  the 
cavern  ten  miles  from  that  place.  Nothing  on  the 
way  indicated  the  existence  of  such  a  place,  and 
when  we  reached  the  little  inn  kept  by  the  guide,  I 
could  have  found  it  in  my  heart  to  doubt.  We 
made  our  toilet  for  the  occasion,  and  proceeded 
along  the  side  of  a  steep  hill,  climbing  nearly  to  the 
top,  where  a  bench  stands  in  the  shade  before  a  door 
31 


362         NOTES  or  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

in  the  rock.  We  sat  down  to  become  perfectly  cool 
before  entering,  while  the  guide  unlocked  the  door, 
produced  candles  and  matches,  and  made  his  prepa- 
rations, and  here  our  party  completed  their  equip- 
ments ;  M.  and  I  laid  aside  our  bonnets,  and  Mr.  S. 
gallantly  made  turbans  for  our  heads  of  colored 
handkerchiefs.  R.  tied  his  handkerchief  over  his 
shoulders  in  the  fashion  of  a  cloak.  The  guide 
gave  each  a  candlestick  formed  of  a  curved  sheet  of 
tin  to  protect  the  eyes  from  the  light.  We  survey- 
ed ourselves  in  the  polished  mirrors  they  afforded, 
and  then  entered  one  by  one.  I  cannot  follow  our 
course,  for  we  went  up  and  down,  through  a  narrow, 
slippery  passage,  our  over-shoes  often  adhering  to  the 
clay  of  the  floor.  We  passed  through  openings  just 
large  enough  to  admit  us  stooping  to  the  very  earth, 
and  then  stood  in  halls  more  than  50  feet  high. 
Now  we  descended  on  narrow  steep  ladders,  and 
then  climbed  piles  of  rocks,  or  made  a  circuit  to 
avoid  falling  into  some  deep  pit.  A  map  of  the  cave 
resembles  somewhat  the  chain  of  lakes  on  our 
northern  boundary,  repeated  several  times.  But  let 
me  try  to  systematize.  The  first  object  that  at- 
tracted our  attention  was  the  wall  of  the  passage  set 
thick  with  rugged  stalactites.  It  was  a  close,  heavy 
fringe,  covering  roof  and  sides  like  long  icicles  ;  and 
here  let  me  remark  that  these  formations  have  not 
the  brilliancy  usually  ascribed  to  them  except  when 
examined -closely  with,  candles.  When  the  light  is 
held  behind  them,  they  seen  to  be  transparent,  and  of 
a  rich  flame  color.  As  we  passed  on,  we  found 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      363 

the  shapes  and  dispositions  of  these  formations  in- 
finitely  varied  ;  sometimes  they  hung  in  long  pointed 
leaves,  depending  to  the  floor,  and  sometimes  in 
graceful  folds  like  drapery.  Our  guide  conducted 
us  into  an  opening  called  the  music  room,  and  strik- 
ing the  columns,  drew  from  one  spot  the  sound  of  a 
heavy  drum,  from  another  that  of  a  tambourine,  and 
from  some  small  tubes  an  excellent  imitation  of  the 
Pandean  pipes.  Further  on  he  struck  the  rocks 
with  a  staff,  and  the  whole  apartment  vibrated  under 
the  heavy  gong ;  the  sound  was  so  deafening  that 
we  held  our  hands  over  our  ears  for  pain.  We  next 
entered  what  is  called  the  ball-room  from  having 
been  occasionally  used  for  that  purpose ;  it  is  wide 
and  high,  and  the  dim  light  of  our  scattered  candles 
made  it  seem  vast.  As  we  passed  out  of  it  and  groped 
our  way  onward,  sweet  distant  sounds  seemed  to 
glide  before  us,  sometimes  distinct,  and  again  seem- 
ingly lost  in  some  deep  cavern  beneath,  or  floating 
through  the  arches  above  us.  It  was  our  guide's 
companion,  who  had  preceded  us  with  a  flute.  We 
descended  a  natural  stair  called  Jacob's  ladder  ;  this 
and  many  other  passes  are  narrow  and  difficult,  and 
all  who  attempt  them  must  depend  entirely  on  their 
own  exertions  and  strength,  as  ho  one  can  assist  ano- 
ther. The  gallantry  of  our  gentlemen  was  severely 
tried,  as  they  could  do  nothing  for  us  but  hold  our 
candles  occasionally,  that  we  might  use  our  hands 
to  cling  to  the  rocks.  It  is  vain  to  attempt  describ- 
ing each  of  the  apartments  to  which  a  name  has 
been  given.  Some  have  been  named  from  a  real  or 


364          NOTES  or  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

fancied  resemblance  of  objects,  and  others  from  pa- 
triotic feeling,  without  much  regard  to  propriety. 
Here,  in  odd  conjunction  with  the  Leaning  Tower 
of  Pisa  and  Cleopatra's  Needle,  are  Jefferson's  Hall, 
Congress  Hall,  and  Washington  Hall.  This  last  apart- 
ment filled  me  with  awe  from  the  vastness  which  be- 
longed to  it  in  that  imperfect  light.  It  rises  far  above 
the  rays  of  the  candles,  and  is  lost  in  black  obscurity. 
The  candle  of  the  guide  at  the  opposite  end  of  it 
seemed  to  us  a  mere  point  of  light.  Near  the  centre 
stands  a  colossal  stalagmite,  so  like  a  statue  wrapped 
in  drapery,  that  one  can  hardly  dispel  the  illusion  ; 
this  is  Washington  at. a  distance  ;  approach  it,  and 
it  becomes  a  shapeless  mass  of  stone,  dripping  mud- 
dy water.  Lady  Washington's  apartment  boasts  a 
mirror,  fringed  hangings,  and  countless  folds  of  dra- 
pery. The  guide  placed  his  light  behind  these  stone 
curtains,  and  showed  us,  as  he  said,  "  not  only  a  hem 
but  a  border."  The  Tower  of  Babel  is  a  large  cir- 
cular rock,  with  a  fluted  surface,  looking  like  co- 
lumns  bound  together.  Solomon's  Throne  is  a  lofty 
chair  with  steps  and  a  cushion,  though  I  must  con- 
fess it  needs  something  from  the  fancy.  Objects  of 
interest  are  found  at  every  step — figures  of  animals, 
birds,  human  features,  and  even  profiles,  stand  as 
memorials  of  nature's  freakish  moods,  and  the  gro- 
tesque shapes  in  which  no  resemblance  to  particular 
things  may  be  traced,  are  found  hanging  and  stand- 
ing, and  lying  about  in  wild  gracefulness,  like  the 
tracery  of  frost  executed  in  stone.  We  had  a  deli- 
cious draught  of  cool  water,  which  falls  in  drops  from 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  365 

the  rock ;  some  thoughtful  mortal  has  placed  be- 
neath it  a  vessel  fashioned  in  the  world  above,  that 
wearied  pilgrims  may  be  refreshed.  But  the  dark- 
ness, the  stillness,  and  the  echo  that  every  sound 
calls  forth  in  this  subterraneous  world,  were  to  us 
most  striking  ;  they  give  the  scene  its  sublimity, 
though  the  impression  is  strangely  at  variance 
with  the  minute  examination  of  perpetually  chang- 
ing objects,  and  the  frequent  discovery  of  ludicrous 
caricatures.  Our  guide  awakened  the  echoes  by  a 

song,  to  which  his  fine  voice  gave  full  effect,  and 

stunned  us  by  firing  the  pistol.  The  pistol !  if  this 
companion  of  our  journey  has  not  before  received 
its  due  notice,  let  it  be  here  recorded  that  its  one 
effort  was  now  to  die  away  in  sound.  We  were 
tired  enough  when  our  guide  announced  the  end ; 
but  all  our  steps  were  to  be  retraced  before  we  could 
rest.  Our  candles  were  burned  low,  and  the  fearful 
thought  of  being  left  in  darkness  in  such  a  place, 
suggested  itself,  not  as  a  thing  to  be  apprehended, 
for  we  knew  that  our  guide  had  provided  against  such 
misfortune,  but  as  the  climax  of  all  possible  horrors. 
To  increase  the  effect,  we  were  listening  to  a  tale 
from  the  guide,  of  a  foreigner  to  whom  it  once  hap. 
pened,  and  whose  guide  found  the  way  out  after 
hours  of  peril.  At  last  we  saw  gleams  of  pale  light 
beginning  to  contend  with  the  red  glare.  The  effect 
of  suddenly  emerging  into  daylight  after  three  hours 
in  the  cave,  was  strange  enough,  and  resuming  the 
temperature  of  the  world  without  was  as  uncomfort- 
able as  singular.  Worn  out  as  we  were,  we  could 
31* 


366     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

not  avoid  laughing  at  our  plight,  covered  as  we  stood 
with  a  plaster  of  red  mud  over  our  strange  attire. 
But  water  and  brushes  and  a  change  of  dress  soon 
restored  us,  and  after  the  refreshment  of  dinner,  we 
pursued  our  journey  to  Harrisonburgh,  talking  over 
our  exploits,  and  the  wonders  we  had  encountered. 

The  Valley. 

We  were  roused  from  our  slumbers,  at  2  o'clock 
A.  M.  by  the  firing  of  guns  and  beat  of  drum  under 
our  windows.  At  first  we  could  not  imagine  what 
it  meant,  but  recollection  came,  and  with  it  the 
memory  of  the  4th  of  July.  It  was  rather  hard  to 
be  disturbed  in  this  style,  and  kept  awake  until  day- 
light-by  such  a  racket ;  but  the  spirit  of  patriotism 
rendered  it  endurable,  and  we  arose  to  breakfast  with 
feelings  and  appetites  quite  American.  At  nine 
o'clock  we  saw  the  Harrisonburgh  Rangers  in  re- 
view  before  us,  and  soon  after,  taking  the  stage 
which  came  up  with  five  passengers,  we  continued 
our  journey  through  the  valley  of  Virginia,  which 
we  entered  at  Lexington.  This  valley  is  as  celebrat- 
ed for  the  beauty  of  its  scenery  as  for  its  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  the  badness  of  its  roads.  We 
reached  Newmarket  to  dinner,  and  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  viewing  the  troops  in  parade  celebrating,  to 
the  best  of  their  ability,  the  glorious  Fourth,  and  truly 
the  assemblage  was  grotesque  enough.  Three  offi- 
cers in  uniform  were  in  command,  about  twenty  men 
were  in  hats  and  feathers,  the  rest,  I  suppose  fifty, 
of  every  age  and  size,  were  in  citizen's  dress,  with 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  367 

sticks  over  their  shoulders  instead  of  guns,  and  the 
music  consisted  of  two  violins,  flutes,  and  pipes :  it 
was  ludicrous  enough ;  but  the  spirit,  which  in  this 
little  place  prompted  this  exhibition  of  public  feeling, 
was  beautiful,  and  to  be  commended.  Every  little 
village  through  which  we  passed,  showed  some  sign  of 
respect  for  the  day  ;  and  after  a  pleasant  drive  we  ar- 
rived at  Woodstock.  Our  hotel  was  filthy,  and  after  a 
miserable  night,  we  gladly  took  the  stage  at  1  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  reached  Winchester  to  breakfast,  and  spent 
the  Sabbath  there ;  left  it  on  Monday  morning,  6th 
July.  The  country  was  beautiful,  and  our  road  ran 
along  the  line  of  the  great  Ohio  Rail  Road,  which  is 
finished  as  far  as  Harper's  Ferry,  where  we  arrived 
about  11  o'clock,  A.  M.  This  beautiful  place  is  as 
wild  and  romantic  as  the  most  fanciful  mind  can  pic- 
ture, and  here  is.  the  meeting  of  the  Potomac  and  She- 
nandoah  rivers,  which  after  their  junction  seem  to  have 
forced  their  passage,  and  caused  a  separation  of  the 
mountain.  Here  we  dined,  and  at  1  o'clock  took 
the  rail  road  for  Baltimore.  The  scenery,  just  after 
leaving  the  ferry,  is  wild  beyond  any  description. 
The  canal  runs  along  the  road  on  one  side,  and 
immensely  high  rocks  are  piled  up  on  the  other; 
while  at  little  distance  the  Potomac  runs  in  a  line 
with  the  canal,  and  winding  among  the  hills,  gives 
life  and  spirit  to  a  scene  of  exquisite  romance. 
These  piles  of  rock  continue  for  a  distance  of  seve- 
ral miles,  and  afterward  the  road  runs  through  a 
cultivated  and  beautiful  country.  We  travelled 
most  of  the  way  by  horse-power,  though  we  had  the 


368  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

locomotive  for  16  miles.  About  7  o'clock  we  stop- 
ped  at  Sykesville  for  supper,  and  then  proceeded  by 
a  fine  moonlight,  passing  some  beautiful  country- 
seats,  and  about  9  o'clock  reached  Ellicott's  Mills, 
situated  on  the  Patapsco,  which  had  been  sparkling 
in  its  silver  beauty,  reflecting  the  moonlight,  for 
many  miles  of  our  course.  These  mills  are  very 
extensive,  comprising  cotton  and  flour  mills — iron 
works,  <Scc.  &c.  They  are  in  fine  order,  and  most 
picturesque  in  their  situation  and  appearance.  Here, 
too,  are  several  fine  bridges,  particularly  one,  which, 
crossing  the  stream  at  this  place,  unites  with  the  road 
which  branches  off  to  Washington  City.  Reach- 
ed Baltimore  at  half  past  10  o'clock,  paid  an  hour's 
visit  to  Mrs.  M.,  passed  the  night  at  Barnum's  very 
comfortably,  and  took  the  boat  at  6  A.  M.  for  Phi- 
ladelphia,  where  we  occupied  the  afternoon  in  a  visit 
to  the  Water  Works  and  our  friends  in  Walnut 
Street.  The  next  morning  saw  us  in  the  boat  for 
New-York,  which  city  we  reached  at  3  in  the  after- 
noon, in  good  health  and  spirits,  thankful  for  our 
preservation  through  a  journey  so  long  and  so  full  of 
perils,  and  happy  in  meeting  our  friends  after  so 
long  absence. 


We  have  wandered  far  and  wide 
By  the  graceful  streamlet's  side ; 
Over  mountain,  through  the  glen, 
In  the  valley  we  have  roved — 
Countless  scenes,  where  nature  proved 
The  magic  wonders  of  her  pen. 


NOTES    OF   A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  369 

She  has  written  on  each  heart 
Things  which  may  not  soon  depart, 
Of  each  bright  and  troubled  scene. 
And  although,  of  this  duartette, 
None  remain  together, — yet 
All  shall  keep  its  memory  green. 

Though  our  pilgrimage  is  o'er, 
And  we  daily  meet  no  more, 
In  our  bosoms  still  shall  glow 
Friendship's  lustre  ever  bright, 
Yielding  unalloyed  delight, 
Till  to  our  final  bourne  we  go. 


A  WEEK  AMONG  AUTOGRAPHS. 


BY 

S.  OILMAN. 


A  WEEK  AMONG  AUTOGRAPHS. 

A  RECENT  visit  to  the  mansion  of  I.  K.  Teflit,  Esq. 
of  Savannah,  furnished  me  with  an  unaccustomed 
entertainment,  in  describing  which,  I  may  hope  to 
impart  it,  in  a  faint  degree,  to  others.  This  gentle- 
man  has  devoted  a  portion  of  his  leisure  for  several 
years  to  the  collection  of  autographs,  or  specimens 
of  original  hand-writing  by  eminent  persons  of  va- 
rious ages  and  countries.  If  it  were  not  otherwise 
known  that  his  literary  taste  and  habits  had  pecu- 
liarly fitted  him  for  such  an  occupation,  the  fact 
would  be  sufficiently  evident  from  the  actual  fruits 
of  his  researches.  His  compilation  of  manuscripts, 
by  different  writers,  nearly  all  of  whom  have  been 
persons,  in  some  way  or  other,  of  considerable  dis- 
tinction, amounts  to  about  five  thousand  articles. 
They  thus  constitute  a  very  rare  curiosity,  or  rather 
assemblage  of  curiosities,  which  few  can  even  par- 
tially inspect  without  strong  feelings  of  surprise  and 
gratification.  They  present,  too,  a  striking  testimony 
of  the  extraordinary  results  that  may  be  achieved 
by  directing  one's  attention  and  energies  to  a  par- 
ticular  pursuit,  whatever  it  may  be. 

Nor  can  such  a  collection  be  simply  regarded 
32 


374  NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN   EXCUHSIOJT. 

as  a  curiosity.  It  deserves,  in  many  respects,  the 
higher  praise  of  usefulness.  The  inquiries  and  ex- 
ertions  necessary  to  its  formation,  must  often  bring 
to  light  some  valuable  literary  or  historical  docu- 
ment. It  is  not  mere  signatures,  or  scraps  of  hand- 
writing, that  Mr.  TefFt  has  been  so  sedulously  col- 
lecting. He  has  intended  that  each  specimen  should 
consist,  if  possible,  of  an  interesting  letter,  or  some 
important  instrument.  Must  it  not  be  readily  allow- 
ed, that  a  series  of  only  single  letters  from  all  the 
eminent  men,  who  were  active,  both  in  a  civil  and 
military  capacity,  throughout  our  revolutionary  war, 
would  of  itself  constitute  an  interesting  volume,  and 
throw  a  desirable  light  on  the  history  of  that  period  ? 
Yet  such  a  series  might  be  culled  with  great  ease 
from  the  collection  we  are  now  contemplating. 

Very  few  large  autographic  collections  are  known 
to  exist.  They  are  among  the  last  intellectual  luxu- 
ries grafted  on  a  high  growth  of  refinement  and  ci- 
vilization. Here  and  there  some  peculiar  .taste  or 
bias  determines  an  individual  to  the  pursuit,  and  he 
experiences  the  innocent  delight  of  beholding  his 
treasures  rapidly  increase,  while  his  friends  and 
acquaintances,  in  the  mean  time,  are  permitted  to 
enjoy  many  an  hour  of  deep  interest  and  pleasure 
in  reviewing  the  proceeds  of  his  quiet  yet  enthusiastic 
labors.  In  our  own  country,  besides  Mr.  TefFt^ 
there  are  but  two  very  extensive  collectors,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Sprague,  of  Albany,  and  Robert  Gilmor,  Esq. 
of  Baltimore.  Dr.  Sprague's  collection  has  attain- 
ed considerable  celebrity,  and  amounts  to  more  than 


NOTES    OP   A   SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  375 

twenty  thousand  articles.  Mr.  Gilmor's,  also,  is 
particularly  valuable ;  and  a  printed  list  of  the  most 
important  articles  has  been  circulated  by  him  for  the 
convenience  of  himself  and  his  friends.  His  Ameri- 
can is  separated  from  his  Foreign  collection,  and  is 
thus  classed  :  Civil  and  military  officers  before  the 
revolution — military  officers  of  the  revolutionary 
war — military  officers  since  the  revolution — naval 
officers — signers  of  the  declaration  of  independence 
— worthies  of  the  revolution — signers  of  the  consti- 
tution of  the  United  States — presidents  and  vice-pre- 
sidents— secretaries  of  state — secretaries  of  the  trea- 
sury— secretaries  of  war — secretaries  of  the  navy — 
attorneys  general — post-office  department — govern- 
ors of  states  and  territories — members  of  congress — 
diplomatic — law —  divinity — -physic — literary — sci- 
entific— artists — miscellaneous,  which  includes  all 
that  cannot  properly  be  placed  under  one  of  the  other 
heads.  The  foreign  autographs  in  the  same  collec- 
tion are  subjected  to  a  similar  arrangement.  The 
accomplished  Grimke,  during  the  last  few  years  of 
his  life,  paid  much  attention  to  this  subject,  and  has 
left  a  considerable  collection  of  autographs,  which, 
had  he  been  longer  spared,  would  soon  undoubtedly 
have  been  greatly  enlarged.  Among  the  most  dis- 
tinguished collectors  abroad,  are,  Rev.  Dr.  Raffles, 
of  Liverpool,  the  well-known  author  of  the  "  Life  of 
Spencer,"  and  Rev.  Mr.  Bolton,  of  Henly-upon- 
Thames.  It  would  thus  appear  that  clergymen  have 
a  particular  partiality  for  this  pursuit ;  though  by 
what  affinity,  I  presume  not  to  determine. 


376  NOTES   OF   A    SOUTHEKJf   EXCURSION. 

Few  autographs,  comparatively,  have  reached  our 
country  from  the  continent  of  Europe,  nor  is  Mr. 
Tefft  acquainted  with  any  collector  in  that  part  of 
the  world.  That  there  must  be  such,  however,  is 
highly  probable,  particularly  in  France,  Germany, 
Holland,  and  Italy.  The  Enyclopaedias  contain  no 
information  on  the  subject,  though  it  would  seem  to 
deserve  a  place  in  their  miscellaneous  records.  The 
Encyclopaedia  Americana,  which  is  mainly  a  trans- 
lation  from  the  German,  dismisses  the  article  with 
the  tantalizing  remark,  that  "  some  collections  of 
autographs  of  famous  men  are  very  interesting."  I 
should  apprehend  that  there  is  a  sufficient  number  of 
autograph-collectors  in  the  world  to  justify  and  sup- 
port an  annual  publication  on  the  subject.  Such  a 
work  would  be  invaluable  to  the  fraternity.  It 
should  contain  catalogues  of  all  existing  collections. 
It  should  give  an  account  of  new  and  interesting 
discoveries.  It  should  present  fac  similes  of  the 
rarest  and  most  valuable  subjects.  By  this  means, 
every  collector  might  compare  his  own  deficiencies 
with  the  redundances  of  others,  and  an  equilibrium 
be  everywhere  maintained  at  much  less  trouble  and 
expense  than  are  incurred  at  present. 

Mr.  Tefft  has  succeeded  in  forming  his  large  com- 
pilation without  incurring  any  direct  expense. 
Through  the  liberality  of  many  persons  in  our  coun- 
try who  have  held  choice  autographs  in  their  posses- 
sion, he  has  always  on  hand  duplicates  of  considera- 
ble worth,  by  the  exchange  of  which  with  persons 
either  at  home  or  abroad,  he  has  been  enabled  to  con- 


NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      377 

fer  so  peculiar  a  value  and  extent  on  his  collection. 
Having  amassed  five  thousand  specimens,  it  may  be 
supposed  that  he  has  nearly  exhausted  the  range  of 
distinguished  names ;  and  accordingly,  when  some 
obliging  friend  from  a  distance  sends  him  a  parcel, 
he  finds,  on  looking  it  over,  that  it  scarcely  contri- 
butes a  single  new  name  to  his  collection,  though  the 
whole  may  be  otherwise  valuable  and  interesting. 
Some  of  his  most  curious  specimens  he  has  received 
gratuitously  from  friends  in  Great  Britain,  although, 
as  might  be  expected,  in  a  very  artificial  state  of  socie- 
ty, they  would  often  command  considerable  prices 
in  that  country.  The  poet  Campbell  raised  forty- 
five  guineas  for  the  Poles  by  autographs  ;  and,  visit- 
ing  a  lady  who  had  notes  from  distinguished  people 
on  her  table,  he  advised  her  to  conceal  them,  or  they 
would  be  stolen.  Brougham's  autograph  was  valued 
at  five  guineas.  Distant,  undoubtedly,  is  the  day, 
when  the  casual  holder  of  a  few  bits  of  paper  in 
America  will  think  of  extorting  a  compensation 
from  the  gentle  and  devoted  collector  of  autographs. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  this  occu- 
pation consists  in  the  personal  correspondence  be- 
tween the  autograph-collector  and  individuals  who 
are  in  possession  of  the  desired  articles.  Between 
the  collectors  themselves,  not  only  an  acquaintance 
is  formed,  but  often  a  warm  and  substantial  friend- 
ship. If  one  could  imagine  the  mutual  regard  en- 
tertained between  two  persons  who  are  in  the  habit 
of  interchanging  a  few  Birds  of  Paradise,  or  a  real 
Phoenix,  or  a  consignment  of  the  most  delicious 


378     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

tropical  fruits,  or  a  goodly  specimen  of  Georgia  gold, 
one  might  understand  the  emotions  derived  from  the 
reception  of  a  long-sought-for  scrap  by  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration,  or  perchance  the  verita- 
ble signature  of  some  foriegn  name, 

"  Wherewith  all  Europe  rings  from  side  to  side." 

Again :  nothing  can  exceed  the  obliging  and 
courteous  language  and  actions  of  several  distin- 
guished men,  who  have  been  applied  to  for  autographs 
within  their  control.  My  Savannah  friend  has  rare- 
ly, if  ever,  had  the  misfortune  to  be  met  with  neglect 
in  answer  to  applications  of  this  kind.  His  letters 
from  such  men  as  ex-Presidents  Madison  and  Adams, 
Prof.  Silliman,  Gen.  La  Fayette,  Washington  Irving, 
Duponceau,  Joseph  Buonaparte,  Dr.  Mitchell,  Mr. 
Grimke,  Basil  Hall,  Dr.  Raffles,  and  many  others, 
exhibit  their  private  characters  in  a  truly  amiable 
light.  When  thus  not  merely  the  nature  of  this  oc- 
cupation, but  its  external  circumstances  are  of  so 
agreeable  a  description,  we  cannot  wonder  at  the 
zeal  with  which  it  is  pursued. 

The  science  of  the  autograph-collector  is  not  with- 
out  its  higher  and  peculiar  mysteries.  By  much  ex- 
perience and  exercise  he  acquires  a  skilful  discern- 
ment, which  belongs  not  to  common  eyes.  He  will 
tell  you  of  correspondences  between  the  hand-writ- 
ing and  the  mental  disposition  of  individuals,  about 
which  he  is  rarely,  if  ever,  mistaken.  He  will  speak 
of  immediately  discerning,  amidst  a  hundred  new 
specimens,  and  before  inspecting  the  signatures-, 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  379 

those  which  have  been  written  by  the  most  eminent 
persons.  And  why  should  it  not  be  so  ?  Perhaps 
it  will  be  found  more  philosophical  to  credit  such 
pretensions,  than  to  ridicule  or  distrust  them.  For 
if  we  often  judge  of  a  character,  with  no  little  pre- 
cision, by  a  single  tone  of  the  voice,  by  a  single  mo- 
tion of  the  body,  by  an  instantaneous  glance  at  the 
physiognomy  ;  and  if,  which  is  yet  more  to  the  point, 
a  nation  has  its  peculiar  style  of  writing,  so  that  a 
French  manuscript  is  as  easily  discernible  from  an 
English  one  as  are  the  respective  dialects  of  the 
two  countries  ;  if  the  manuscripts  of  the  same  nation 
at  different  eras  are  also  perceptibly  different,  so 
that  a  writing  of  the  sixteenth  century  is  no  more 
like  one  of  the  eighteenth  than  are  the  dresses  of 
those  two  periods  like  each  other  ;  if  the  chirogra- 
phies  of  the  two  sexes  are  almost  always  immediate- 
ly distinguishable,  so  that  a  brother  and  sister,  edu- 
cated under  the  same  circumstances,  and  taught  by 
the  same  writing-master,  shall  yet  unavoidably  re- 
veal their  respective  styles  ;  and  if,  lastly,  different 
classes  of  persons  shall  be  known  by  their  different 
hand-writings,  so  that  a  mere  child  could  pronounce 
which  is  the  mercantile  clerk's,  which  the  lawyer's, 
and  which  the  leisurely  gentleman's,  let  us  beware 
how  we  rashly  discredit  the  experienced  inspector 
of  autographs,  who  deduces  from  the  signature  of  an 
individual  the  qualities  of  his  mind. 

The  occupation  we  are  describing  is  sometimes 
enlivened  by  moving  adventures,hair-breadth  rescues, 
and  joy-inspiring  discoveries,  which  the  uninitiated 


380  NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

world  knows  nothing  of;  and  sometimes  it  is  damp, 
ed  by  the  most  cruel  disappointments.  A  manuscript 
is  often  sought  for  with  anxious  diligence  for  years  ; 
and  when  perhaps  all  hope  is  abandoned,  and  some- 
thing like  acquiescence  or  resignation  is  beginning  to 
compose  the  spirits  of  the  baffled  inquirer,  not  only 
the  desired  signature,  but  (precious  and  ample  reward 
for  all  past  labors  and  regrets)  a  whole  letter  by  the 
same  hand,  is  sent  in  from  some  unexpected  quarter. 
Mr.  Tefft  was  long  in  pursuit  of  ,an  autograph  of 
Kosciusko.  He  received  from  a  northern  friend  a 
scrap  of  paper  containing  the  simple  signature  of 
that  warrior's  name,  with  an  expression  of  regret 
that  nothing  more  under  his  hand  could  be  found. 
Some  time  afterwards,  he  received  from  another 
friend  an  entire  letter  of  Kosciusko,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  signature.  On  comparing  the  two  pa- 
pers, with  trembling  anxiety,  it  was  found  that  they 
both  originally  constituted  one  and  the  same  letter. 
Sometimes  an  ignorant  descendant  of  renowned  an- 
cestors will  be  unwilling  to  part  with  any  of  their 
manuscripts,  through  an  inability  to  comprehend  the 
collector's  object ;  sometimes  a  heaping  trunk  is 
committed  by  a  vandal  hand  to  the  flames,  or,  if  res- 
cued, its  contents  are  perhaps  found  to  be  ruined  by 
the  moulds  and  damps  of  age. 

But  we  have  perhaps  been  too  long  detained  from 
examining  the  valuable  collection  which  has  oc- 
casioned those  preliminary  remarks.  We  find  the 
manuscripts  in  excellent  perservation,  being  ar- 
ranged and  classed  in  six  volumes,  after  the  man- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.  381 

ner  of  Mr.  Gilmor's  collection  already  described. 
There  is,  besides,  a  box  of  miscellaneous  autographs. 
Let  us  first  open  this.  A  very  courteous  letter  from 
Capt.  Hall  lies  on  the  top,  inclosing  an  engraved 
fac  simile  of  the  letter  written  to  him  by  Sir  Walter 
Scott  when  detained  at  Portsmouth  by  the  wind  in 
1831,  and  giving  some  account  of  Sir  Walter's  own 
favourite  production,  "  The  Antiquary."  This  letter 
has  been  already  published  in  several  American  news- 
papers, and  we  will  dismiss  it  by  simply  remarking 
that  Sir  Walter's  first  sentence  has  been  erroneous- 
ly  deciphered  and  printed.  He  does  not  say,  "  My 
dear  Captain  Hall,  as  the  wind  seems  determinately 
inflexible,"  but  he  says  "  As  the  wind  seems  determin- 
edly  inflexible." 

We  have  next,  a  letter,  dated  in  1833,  from  an  emi- 
nent law-editor  of  Edinburgh,  who  states  that  he  has 
declined  autograph-collecting  on  account  of  the  ex- 
pense attending  it.  "  It  is  now,"  he  continues,  "  a  fa- 
vorite hobby  with  the  ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen, 
which  makes  it  doubly  difficult  to  procure  a  tolerable 
set  of  autographs — for  even  parliamentary  franks  on 
the  backs  of  letters  from  members  of  both  houses  are 
kidnapped  from  all  the  public  offices  and  private 
desks,  here  and  in  London,  for  wives,  daughters,  and 
sweethearts." 

Next  is  an  invaluable  document.  It  is  a  commu- 
nication from  the  son  of  Dr.  Currie,  of  Liverpool, 
the  biographer  of  Burns,  covering  a  long  and  inter- 
esting letter  from  that  immortal  poet  to  the  cele- 
brated Dugald  Stewart.  It  is  written  in  a  large, 


382  NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

bold,  perpendicular,  and  slightly  angular  hand,  not 
unworthy  the  author  of  "  Tarn  O'Shanter." 

A  distinguished  Professor  of  a  northern  institu- 
tion,  in  a  very  kind  letter,  thus  writes  :  "  We  have 
in  Yale  College  a  very  remarkable  autograph,  or 
rather  auto-delineation:  it  is  a  sketch  of  himself 
with  a  pen,  made  by  Major  Andre  a  few  hours  be- 
fore his  execution.  There  is  also  a  lock  of  his  hair 
taken  from  his  grave.  In  the  sketch,  he  is  represent, 
ed  as  sitting  at  a  table ;  the  portrait  is  full  length, 
and  about  the  size  of  the  palm  of  your  hand.  It 
came  into  the  possession  of  Lieut.  Nathan  Beers  of 
the  Connecticut  Line,  then  on  duty,  and  who  stood 
near  to  Andre,  as  a  member  of  the  guard,  at  the  mo- 
ment of  execution.  Lieut.  Beers  is  my  near  neigh- 
bor, and  at  eighty  years  of  age  enjoys  his  faculties 
perfectly,  except  hearing.  Col.  Talmadge,  a  very 
gallant  and  distinguished  cavalry  officer,  was  charged 
with  the  immediate  custody  of  Andre's  person,  and 
upon  his  arm  the  unfortunate  man  was  leaning,  on 
his  way  to  execution,  when  he  first  saw  the  pre- 
paration for  what  he  deemed  a  dishonorable  death  ; 
he  recoiled  a  moment  at  the  sight,  and  asked  with 
emotion  if  he  must  die  in  that  manner.  Col.  Tal- 
madge is  still  living,  and  cannot,  even  now,  relate 
that  tragedy  without  tears." 

We  have  next  a  letter  from  an  eminent  clergyman 
in  England.  The  following  extract  will  touch  a 
sensitive  chord  in  every  American  bosom  : — "  I  now 
possess  every  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence,  save  one,  viz.  George  Taylor,  By  the 


NOTES    OP    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  383 

kindness  of  a  friend  in  Liverpool,  a  countryman  of 
yours,  I  have  been  presented  with  a  proof-impression 
of  Trumbull's  picture  of  the  Signing  of  the  Decla- 
ration, which  I  purpose  binding  with  the  volume 
which  the  signers  are  designated  to  form,  and  which, 
when  so  bound  and  illustrated,  will  constitute  not 
only  one  of  the  most  interesting  articles  in  my  col- 
lection,  but,  I  apprehend,  to  posterity  at  least  one  of 
the  most  interesting  volumes  in  the  world." 

As  a  happy  pendant  to  the  foregoing,  we  have 
next  a  letter  from  our  Lafayette,  dated  in  1832, 
saying,  "  With  much  pleasure  I  would  gratify  your 
autographic  inclinations,  but  have  for  the  present 
no  European  writings  to  offer,  excepting  a  note 
from  the  King  of  the  French,  which  I  inclose.  As 
for  this  letter  of  mine,  which  you  are  pleased  to 
call  for,  I  hope  it  will  be  placed  in  the  American 
part  of  your  collection.  I  beg  you  to  remind  me  to 
my  friends  in  Savannah,  and  to  believe  me  most  sin- 
cerely yours.  LAFAYETTE." 

There  is  next  an  affectionate  letter  to  a  young 
friend  at  St.  Mary's  College,  Baltimore,  dated  Wash- 
ington, 1827,  written  in  a  very  elegant  hand,  and 
signed  J.  R.  of  Roanoke.  It  may  be  remembered 
that  Mr.  Randolph  in  early  life  wrote  in  a  wretched 
hand,  and  was  induced  to  alter  it  on  his  first  visit 
to  England,  by  seeing  some  specimens  of  the  writ- 
ing of  Mr.  Pitt,  whose  manuscript  was  remarkably 
fair.  The  effect  of  this  characteristic  emulation 
evidently  continued  with  him  to  the  last. 

A  business  letter  by  a  celebrated   senator  from 


384     NOTES  OP  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

Massachusetts  soon  follows,  and  is  remarkable  for 
being  written  very  much  in  the  manner  of  Walter 
Scott. 

Not  far  from  this,  is  the  letter  of  a  distinguished 
citizen  of  Philadelphia  to  the  late  Dr.  Samuel 
Mitchell,  of  New- York,  introducing  a  friend  to  his 
acquaintance.  Dr.  Mitchell  himself  sent  this  auto- 
graph, on  which  is  endorsed  in  his  own  hand,  "  Re- 
ceived  20th  March,  1823.  Answered  by  Tea-party, 
29th." 

We  soon  take  up  a  letter,  apparently  from  a  Lon- 
don merchant  or  banker,  dated  6th  April,  1676,  to 
his  friends  in  the  country.  It  is  curious  in  mention- 
ing that  King  Charles  II.  was  then  at  New-Market, 
"  and  'tis  said,"  continues  the  letter,  «  his  Majesty 
in  Counsell  did  on  Sunday  was  seavenight  past 
order  that  the  chimney  money  should  be  assigned 
for  payment  of  the  bankers."  This  chimney  money 
probably  coresponded  to  the  house-duty  of  modern 
times.  It  is  sometimes  called  hearth-money  by  the 
historians.  The  same  letter  contains  the  following 
passing  touch  of  private  life  : — "  Matt.  H.  and  little 
Kitt  were  both  invited  through  Easter  to  Sir  Wm. 
Bucknall.  .  The  hinmost  was  not  there,  but  the  fore- 
most was,  and  questionless  the  orange  was  well 


Another  document  is  an  order,  dated  in  1724,  for 
the  payment  of  a  dividend  on  the  South  Sea  Stock, 
celebrated  in  history  as  the  cause  of  such  widely-ex. 
tended  ruin. 

There  is  also  an  original  letter,  written  by  Miss 


XOTKS    OF   A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  385 

Elizabeth  Scott  to  her  father.  The  greatest  curio- 
sity  about  it  is,  that  Dr.  Doddridge  once  tried  to  marry 
Miss  Scott,  but  without  success.  She  was  a  lady  of 
great  talents  and  accomplishments,  and  the  authoress 
of  some  poems.  The  letter  before  us  is  only  re- 
markable  for  a  dc-ep  tone  of  piety  and  filial  affec- 
tion. The  writer  seems  to  have  been  a  great  bodily 
sufferer.  One  little  thing  about  the  exterior  of  her 
letter  bespeaks  its  feminine  authorship,  and  carries 
us  back,  as  by  a  magic  power,  through  a  hundred 
years.  Some  thirty  or  forty  pin-holes  are  stuck  in- 
to  the  wafer  of  the  letter,  the  fair  and  worthy  wri- 
ter apparently  not  having  a  seal  at  hand.  The 
privilege  of  seeing  pin-holes,  made  in  a  wafer  by  the 
fingers  of  a  lady  to  whom  Dr.  Doddridge  was  at- 
tached, is  one  of  no  small  value.  If  she  could  have 
found  it  in  her  heart  to  favour  the  fond  divine 
more  indulgently,  doubtless  she  would  have  been 
able,  instead  of  a  pin,  to  have  used  a  seal,  with  the 
device  of  a  blazing  heart,  and  the  initials  of  P.  D. 
beneath  it.  As  to  the  superscription,  directed  up- 
side down,  we  know  not  what  to  say. 

Turning  over  a  number  of  interesting  articles, 
which  we  cannot  possibly  specify,  we  come  to  a 
MS.  sermon  of  Cotton  Mather.  It  is  written  half 
unintelligibly  in  the  finest  and  closest  hand,  on  three 
very  small  leaves,  the  latter  part  of  it  seeming  to  be 
only  notes  or  hints  for  extemporaneous  enlargement. 
The  text  consists  of  the  words,  "  Blessed  be  God." 
An  instance  of  Mather's  bold  and  poetic  imagina- 
tion occurs  near  the  middle  of  the  discourse.  Des- 
33 


386  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

cribing  the  life  and  character  of  the  Apostle  Paul, 
who  had  such  valid  reasons  to  bless  God  for  his 
conversion,  he  says,  "  a  vile  sinner  against  God 
may  become  a  high  servant  of  God.  As  they  said, 
Is  Saul  among  the  prophets  ?  thus  they  could  say  of 
another  Saul,  Is  he  among  the  Apostles  ?  A  fierce 
persecutor  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  become  a 
rare  ambassador  for  him."  At  this  point  he  inserts 
in  the  margin,  as  an  after-thought,  which  he  felt 
necessary  to  crown  his  climax  of  antitheses,  "  and  a 
fire-brand  of  hell  may  become  a  bright  star  of 
heaven." 

As  this  autograph  of  Mather  is  among  the  oldest 
in  the  collection,  I  may  here  mention  that  the  very 
oldest  is  dated  in  1665,  and  that  on  one  sheet  of  paper 
are  fastened  four  small  documents,  written  in  New- 
England  between  the  years  1665  and  1689.  Thus 
the  Collection  is  not  yet  peculiarly  rich  in  antiqui- 
ties. 

We  now  turn  over  a  considerable  number  of  arti- 
cles, consisting  of  letters,  dinner-notes,  orders,  and 
signatures,  from  the  most  conspicuous  Americans 
of  past  and  present  times.  However  piquant  it  may 
be  to  the  curious  in  such  matters  to  inspect  the  has- 
ty  undress  and  confidential  billets  of  Presidents  and 
Ex-Presidents,  Members  of  Cabinets  and  Congress, 
and  various  others  eminent  characters,  the  laws  of 
decorum  must  not  be  violated  by  transcribing  and 
blazoning  them  here.  But  see !  we  arrive  at  a 
mutilated  letter  from  Benedict  Arnold.  It  is  writ- 
ten in  a  large,  clear,  bold,  regular  hand,  and  contains  a 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN   EXCURSION.  387 

complaint  of  his  character  having  been  cruelly  and 
unjustly  aspersed  ;  concluding  thus — "  I  have  the 
honour  to  be,  with  the  greatest  respect,  (here  some 
one  has  written  in  pencil,  a  Traitor)  Your  Excel- 
lency's most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

"  B.  ARNOLD." 

Soon  following  this,  is  the  rough  draft  of  an  animat- 
ed  Address  to  the  young  men  of  Boston,  dated  Phila- 
delphia, 1798,  by  the  elder  President  Adams.  It  be- 
gins thus  :  "  Gentlemen,  it  is  impossible  for  you  to 
enter  your  own  Fanueil  Hall,  or  to  throw  your  eyes 
on  the  variegated  mountains  and  elegant  islands 
around  you,  without  recollecting  the  principles  and 
actions  of  your  fathers,  and  feeling  what  is  due  to 
their  example."  After  alluding  to  the  dangers  of 
the  country,  he  writes,  "  To  arir.s,  then,  my  youn^ 
friends  ;  to  arms !" — and  concludes  in  an  equally 
characteristic  strain.  Some  sheets  after,  we  find  a 
letter  from  the  same  pen,  written  from  Philadelphia 
to  Boston  as  early  as  1776.  It  is  addressed  to  a 
certain  Miss  Polly  Palmer,  in  a  style  of  playful  gal- 
lantry. The  whole  of  it  is  so  interesting,  that  it 
shall  be  extracted  here  entire: 

PHILADELPHIA,  July  5,  1776. 

Miss  Polly. — Your  favour  of  June  15,  1776,  was 
handed  to  me  by  the  last  post. — I  hold  myself  much 
obliged  to  you  for  your  attention  to  me,  at  this  dis- 
tance from  those  scenes,  in  which,  although  I  feel 


388  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

myself  deeply  interested,  yet  I  can  neither  be  an  act- 
or nor  spectator. 

You  have  given  me  (notwithstanding  all  your 
modest  apologies)  with  a  great  deal  of  real  elegance 
and  perspicuity,  a  minute  and  circumstantial  narra- 
tive of  the  whole  expedition  to  the  lower  harbour, 
against  the  men  of  war.  It  is  lawful,  you  know,  to 
flatter  the  ladies  a  little,  at  least  if  custom  can  make 
a  tiling  lawful :  but,  without  availing  myself  in  the 
least  degree  of  this  license,  I  can  safely  say,  that 
from  your  letter,  and  another  from  Miss  Paine  to 
her  brother,  I  was  enabled  to  form  a  more  adequate 
idea  of  that  whole  transaction,  than  from  all  the 
other  accounts  of  it,  both  in  the  newspapers  and 
private  letters  which  have  come  to  my  hands. 

In  times  as  turbulent  as  these,  commend  me  to  the 
ladies  for  historiographers ;  the  gentlemen  are  too 
much  engaged  in  action, — the  ladies  are  cooler  spec- 
tators.— There  is  a  lady  at  the  foot  of  Pens-Hill, 
who  obliges  me  from  time  to  time,  with  clearer  and 
fuller  intelligence  than  I  can  get  from  a  whole  com- 
mittee  of  gentlemen. 

I  was  a  little  mortified  at  the  unlucky  calm  which 
retarded  the  militia  from  Braintree,  Weymouth,  and 
Hingham. — I  wished  that  they  might  have  had  more 
than  half  the  glory  of  the  enterprize ;  however,  it 
satisfies  me  to  reflect,  that  it  was  not  their  fault,  but 
the  fault  of  the  wind  they  had  not. 

I  will  enclose  to  you  a  DECLARATION,  in  which 
all  America  is  remarkably  united.  It  completes  a 
revolution,  which  makes  as  great  a  figure  in  the  his- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.     389 

tory  of  mankind  as  any  that  has  preceded  it : — pro- 
vided  always  that  the  ladies  take  care  to  record  the 
circumstances  of  it,  for  by  the  experience  I  have  had 
of  the  other  sex,  they  are  either  to  lazy,  or  too  active, 
to  commemorate  them. 

A  continuance  of  your  correspondence,  Miss  Pol- 
ly,  would  much  oblige  me. — Compliments  to  Papa 
and  Mamma,  and  the  whole  family. — I  begin  now  to 
flatter  myself,  however,  that  you  are  situated  in  the 
safest  place  upon  the  continent. 

Howe's  army  and  fleet  are  at  Staten  Island — But 
there  is  a  very  numerous  army  at  New-York  and 
New-Jersey,  to  oppose  them.- — Like  Noah's  Dove, 
without  its  innocence,  they  can  find  no  rest. 

I  am  with  much  respect,  esteem,  and  gratitude, 
your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

JOHN  ADAMS. 

A  letter  from  the  unhappy  Zubly  lies  side  by  side 
with  several  from  John  Houston.  They  were  both 
members,  from  Georgia,  of  that  Congress  which 
signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Zubly 
was  charged,  in  Congress,  with  holding  a  treason- 
able correspondence  with  Sir  James  Wright,  then 
British  governor  of  Georgia.  He  fled  homewards. 
Houston  was  ordered  to  follow  him,  and  counteract 
his  influence,  and  thus  was  deprived  of  the  distin- 
guished honour  of  adding  his  signature  to  the  De- 
claration. Zubly,  it  appears,  continued  to  live  and 
to  preach  in  Savannah  ;  for  in  the  letter  above-men- 
tioned,  written  in  1779,  he  says  to  his  friend,  "I 
33* 


390  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

preached  yesterday  to  a  few  people,  among  whom 
many  were  very  rude.  A  critical  day  seems  to  be 
drawing  near."  I  saw  also  his  grave  and  monument 
during  my  recent  visit  at  Savannah. 

The  autograph-inspector  must  not,  however,  flatter 
himself  he  can  always  find  a  very  interesting  docu- 
ment, apart  from  the  mere  signature  or  hand-writing 
of  the  eminent  individual  to  whom  it  belonged.  The 
every-day  correspondence,  even  of  heroes  them- 
selves, is  not  particularly  heroic.  You  will  turn 
over  many  a  precious  relic  of  the  officers  engaged 
in  our  revolutionary  war,  and  find  perhaps  nothing 
more  important  than  an  order  upon  a  Quarter-Mas- 
ter-General, or  the  detail  of  accidents  unworthy  of  a 
permanent  record.  Yet  sometimes  a  few  hastily 
written  lines  will  transport  you  in  imagination  to 
the  heat  and  bustle  of  the  contest ;  as,  where  Lord 
Stirling  enjoins  Col.  Dayton,  "  besides  watching  the 
motions  of  the  enemy  along  the  Sound,  to  get  some 
certain  intelligence  from  Staten  Island  and  New- 
York  of  their  preparations  or  intentions ;  and  I 
will  be  with  you  in  the  morning,  but  say  nothing  of 
that ;" — or,  where  Archibald  Bullock,  the  first  repub- 
lican governor  of  Georgia,  begs  Col.  M'Intosh,  Com- 
mander of  the  Continental  Battalion,  in  a  letter 
which  is  quoted  by  M'Call,  the  historian,  immediate- 
ly  to  withdraw  a  sentinel  from  his  door ;  "  since,"  he 
continues,  "  I  act  for  a  free  people,  in  whom  I  have 
an  entire  confidence  and  dependence,  and  would 
wish  upon  all  occasions  to  avoid  ostentation ;"  or 
where  Thomas  Cushing  of  Boston,  in  1773,  invites 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.         -    391 

Elbridge  Gerry  to  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  of 
Correspondence,  to  prepare  for  the  possibility  of  ap- 
proaching war ;  and  says  in  a  postscript,  "  It  is 
thought  it  will  not  be  best  to  mention  abroad  the 
particular  occasion  of  this  meeting;"— or  when 
M'Henry  writes  to  Governor  Hawley,  that  he  had  sit- 
ten  up  two  nights  to  produce  two  numbers  of  some 
address  to  the  people,  and  adds,  "  We  go  against 
Arnold,  but  let  us  not  be  too  sanguine.  He  is  cover- 
ed by  entrenchments.  War  is  full  of  disappoint- 
ments," &c. ;  or  where  Rawlins  Lowndes  writes 
to  Governor  Houston  of  Georgia,  "  I  hope  you  will 
be  able  to  keep  off  the  enemy  until  succours  arrive 
to  your  assistance.  General  Lincoln  set  off  this 
morning,  and  the  troops  are  on  their  march." 

It  is  curious,  however,  to  observe  the  turn  taken 
by  the  correspondence  of  the  same  class  of  men  as 
soon  as  the  great  struggle  for  independence  was 
over.  They  enter  now  upon  the  field  of  local  or 
general  politics ;  or  they  look  after  their  private  af- 
fairs?  which  have  evidently  been  deranged  by  their 
long  devotion  to  public  service  ;  or  they  order  from 
an  artist,  an  eagle,  the  badge  of  the  Cincinnati ;  or 
they  inquire  into  the  value  of  grants  of  land  voted 
them  by  legislatures ;  or  they  solicit  the  office  of 
sheriff;  or  they  take  measures  to  establish  academies, 
and  improve  society  around  them. 

We  now  open  the  box  lettered  Distinguished  Fo- 
reigners. And  first  greets  the  eye  a  precious  par- 
cel containing  several  autographs  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott.  We  have  this  note  to  his  favourite  publisher 


392  .       NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

and  friend  Jas.  Ballantyne  : — "  Dear  James,  You 
have  had  two  blank  days,  I  send  you  copy  from 
fifty-two  to  sixty.four,  thirteen  pages."  We  have 
an  entire  and  closely-written  leaf  of  the  History  of 
France  in  Tales  of  a  Grandfather.  We  have  a 
billet  without  direction,  sent  probably  to  some  one 
waiting  at  the  gate  of  Abbotsford,  and  couched  in 
these  terms  :  "  Sir  Walter  is  particularly  engaged 
just  now.  Andrew  Scott  is  welcome  to  look  at  the 
arms,  and  Sir  Walter  encloses  a  trifle  to  help  out 
the  harvest  wages."  We  have  an  order  on  a  book- 
seller in  this  fashion : — "  Mr.  Scott  will  be  obliged 
to  Mr.  Laing  to  send  him  from  his  catalogue 
9373  Life  of  J.  C.  Pitkington, 
9378  Life  of  Letitia  Pitkington  ;" 
and  lastly,  we  have  the  solitary  signature,  Walter 
Scott,  which  will  no  doubt  be  worth  its  full  guinea 
before  many  years.  One  peculiarity  distinguishes 
the  manuscripts  of  this  author  from  all  others.  It 
is,  that  he  never  dots  an  i,  or  crosses  a  t,  or  employs 
punctuation  of  any  kind,  except,  now  and  then,  a 
solitary  period.  In  this  respect  his  writing  strong- 
ly resembles  the  inscriptions  of  the  ancients.  On 
comparing  the  sheet  of  copy  which  he  furnished  for 
the  printer,  with  the  published  History  of  France,  I 
find  a  number  of  essential  variations.  The  proba- 
bility is,  that  James  Ballantyne,  who  was  an  accom- 
plished scholar,  or  perhaps  the  press-corrector,  who,  in 
Europe,  is  often  possessed  of  no  mean  acquirements, 
treated  Sir  Walter's  manuscripts  pretty  much  after 
their  own  pleasure.  The  magic  weaver  had  dis- 


NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION.      393 

missed  his  fabric,  wrought  indeed  in  the  firmest  tex- 
ture and  the  most  beautiful  figures  and  colours.  But 
the  fnisher  went  carefully  over  the  whole,  adjusted 
the  irregular  threads,  removed  the  unsightly  knots, 
stretched  out  every  part  to  an  agreeable  smooth- 
ness, and  thus  rendered  the  wonderful  commodity 
fit  for  the  general  market. 

Reluctantly  laying  aside  these  memorials  of  the 
Great  Enchanter,  we  take  up  a  very  polite  letter 
from  Joseph  Buonaparte,  enclosing  the  autograph  of 
his  far  more  renowned  brother.  It  is  on  the  outside 
of  a  note  addressed  by  Napoleon  to  Joseph,  when 
the  latter  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Five 
Hundred.  It  is  written  on  a  thick,  firm  piece  of 
paper,  which  has  been  clumsily  and  hastily  sealed 
with  red  sealing-wax.  The  seal  is  inscribed  with 
the  name  of  Buonaparte,  in  the  French,  not  the  Ita» 
lian  mode  of  spelling  it ;  and  bears  the  device  of  a 
female  figure  leaning  on  a  lictor's  axe  and  rods. 
The  superscription  is  this  : 
"Concityen 

Joseph  Buonaparte 

depute  au  conseil 

des  500 

Paris." 

Thus  the  autograph  fixes  its  own  date  before  1800, 
the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  having  been  dissolved 
on  the  9th  Nov.  1799.  In  fact,  it  is  not  at  all  impos- 
sible that  this  very  envelope  covered  a  note  from 
Napoleon  to  his  brother,  penned  during  that  agitat- 
ing week  which  preceded  the  death-blow  of  his 
country's  liberties. 


394  NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION. 

If  ever  hand-writing  was  characteristic,  this  little 
superscription  is  decidedly  so.  Were  a  painter  of 
genius  employed  to  represent  a  field  of  battle  by  a 
few  lines  and  dashes  of  a  pen,  he  could  not  execute 
a  closer  resemblance  than  this.  It  is  difficult  to  in- 
spect  it  without  being  almost  induced  to  stop  one's 
ears.  The  i's  and  j's  indeed,  unlike  those  of  Scott, 
are  dotted;  but  the  dots  look  exactly  like  flying 
bombs.  The  t's  are  all  duly  crossed  ;  but  they  are 
crossed  as  was  the  bridge  of  Lodi ;  and  that  ima- 
gination must  be  slow  indeed,  which  does  not  per- 
ceive that  the  hand  which  produced  even  this  little 
specimen,  was  guided  by  a  soul,  whose  congenial 
elements  were  power,  rapidity,  confusion,  victory. 

A  singular  juxta-position  has  brought  near  this 
autograph  of  Buonaparte  the  original  copy  of  seve- 
ral stanzas  of  Delta,  the  peace-loving  poet,  pub. 
iishecl  in  Black  wood,  ar.d  entitled,  I'll  think  ofthee. 

What  next  has  found  its  way  to  this  little  world  of 
Autographs  ? 

Lafayette's  toast. 

'The  Holy  Alliance  of  Nations  is  the  cause  of 
equal  rights  and  universal  freedom."  Then  follows 
the  same  in  French,  all  in  his  own  hand. writing. 

About  twenty  specimens  onwards,  all  of  them  very 
interesting,  but  out  of  the  question  to  be  noticed 
here,  occures  the  skeleton  of  a  sermon  by  the  late 
Rev.  Thos.  Spencer. 

Next,  is  an  order  of  Southey  the  poet,  on  a  book- 
seller, for  Aretino  and  Strabo. 


NOTES    OF    A    SOUTHERN    EXCURSION.  395 

Next,  a  note  from  Wordsworth,  but  who  will  ere- 
dtt  its  being  entirely  concerned  with  the  letting  of 
land,  the  laying  down  of  crops,  and  the  productive- 
ness  of  a  certain  blacksmith's  shop  ? 

There  is  a  characteristic  scrap  from  John  Wes- 
ley, though  a  few  of  the  words  are  unintelligible. 
The  readable  part  of  it  is  this : — "  Within  a  few 
months  I  am  brought  much  forward.  A  few  more, 
and  I  shall  be  no  more  seen.  May  I  *  *  * 
Your  affectionate  friend  and  brother, 

J.  WESLEY." 

Two  sonnets  by  Bowles,  in  his  own  hand-writing, 
will  gratify  the  lover  of  poetry,  and  remind  him  of 
the  high  testimony  of  Coleridge  to  the  merits  of  that 
elegant  bard. 

Next,  a  manuscript  of  two  pages  by  William  Cob- 
bett,  which  appears  to  be  a  diatribe  against  the  Eng- 
lish government  for  its  conduct  towards  America 
during  the  last  war. 

Next,  the  beautiful  lines  of  John  Bowring,  enti- 
tled, "  Whither  shall  my  spirit  fly  ?"  written  in  his 
own  hand,  and  marked  by  his  own  signature. 

Next,  a  note  from  Lady  Byron  to  her  bookseller, 
ordering  a  number  of  theological  works. 

Next,  a  letter  from  Adam  Clarke,  inviting  a  dis- 
tinguished clergyman  of  our  own  State,  who  was 
then  in  London,  to  visit  him. 

Next,  a  long  and  interesting  letter  from  Whitefield 
on  the  subject  of  his  school  for  orphans. 

Dr.  Franklin,  in  a  letter  lying  near,  says  of  Mr. 
Whitefield  himself,  "  I  knew  him  intimately  upwards 


896     NOTES  OF  A  SOUTHERN  EXCURSION. 

of  thirty  years.  His  integrity,  disinterestedness, 
and  indefatigable  zeal  in  prosecuting  every  good 
work,  I  have  never  seen  equalled,  1  shall  never  see 
excelled." 

In  turning  to  a  large  parcel  of  American  auto- 
graphs, I  observed  the  following  profound  and  valu- 
able remark  in  a  letter  of  Gouverneur  Morris. 
Speaking  of  a  distinguished  Southern  politician,  he 
says,  "  He  seems  to  me  one  of  the  best  of  men,  who, 
even  if  they  begin  life  wrong,  soon  get  right ;  and  let 
me  tell  you,  this  thing  is  much  more  rare  than  ex- 
perienced  men  suppose." 

A  letter  from  Bartram,  the  celebrated  botanist, 
now  attracts  the  eye.  It  is  dated  Charleston,  So. 
Ca.,  April,  1775.  To  what  friend  it  is  addressed, 
does  not  appear  ;  but  it  is  evidently  dictated  by  a 
heart  in  which  the  love  of  goodness  and  of  botany 
are  both  prevalent.  "I  wrote  yesterday,"  he  says, 
"  to  your  son  John,  at  Jamaica.  I  begged  him  to 
associate  with  the  best  characters,  and  at  the  same 
time  I  begged  of  him  to  take  notice  of  the  plants 
and  other  national  productions  of  the  island,  and  to 
send  you  the  seeds  and  fruits.  I  am  resolved  to 
take  another  scout  in  the  Indian  countries.  Believe 
I  shall  go  among  the  Cherokees  ;  thence  through  the 
Creek  nation  to  West  Florida.  I  want  to  see  the 
Western  and  mountainous  parts  of  these  colonies, 
where  I  hope  I  shall  pick  up  some  new  things.  It's 
look'd  upon  as  hazardous,  but  I  think  there's  a  pro- 
bability of  accomplishing  it." 

Of  Spurzheim,  all  that  could  be  obtained  was  one 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  397 

of  his  printed  lecture  tickets,  on  which  he  wrote  the 
date,  and  on  which  he  also  stamped  his  favourite  seal, 
"  Res,  non  verba  quceso."  Every  relic  of  this  distin- 
guished individual  has  been  in  great  demand  ;  and 
unfortunately  the  supply  was  diminished  by  the  ap- 
plication of  his  heirs  for  every  scrap  on  which  he 
had  written. 

The  autographs  of  divines  form  one  of  Mr.  Tefft's 
divisions.  And  in  this  department  he  has  the  sig- 
nature of  every  American  Bishop  since  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

Among  the  foreign  autographs  is  a  conspicuous  list 
of  the  Ministers  of  France  for  several  years  after  the 
restoration  of  the  Bourbon  dynasty.  Some  of  the 
names  are  those  of  Baron  Portalis,  Due  de  Broglie, 
Due  de  Cadore,  Serrurier,  Menou,  Due  de  Bauzun, 
D'Hauterive,  Talleyrand,  Neuville,  Pelletier,  La  Feb. 
vre,  Dessoles,  Choiseul,  Deffands,  Rayneval,  Fouche, 
Clermont  de  Tonnerre,  Mole,  Polignac,  Montmoren- 
ci,  Decres,  Marshal  Jourdain,  Richelieu,  Sebastia- 
ni,  &c.  &c.  which  are  generally  subscribed  to  fo- 
reign consular  papers.  There  are  also  a  few  French 
Revolutionary  documents. 

Despairing,  however,  to  present  any  thing  ap- 
proaching an  adequate  idea,  or  even  complete  cata- 
logue, of  the  various  treasures  of  this  collection,  I 
will  only  further  remark,  that  the  curious  in  these 
matters  may  here  inspect  entire  letters  or  notes  of 
James  Hogg,  Alexander  Munro  the  anatomist,  Gen. 
Braddock,  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller,  a  celebrated  Baptist 
clergyman,  Haydon,  the  distinguished  painter  and 
34 


398  A    WEEK    AMOSG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

writer,  Lord  Brougham,  of  whom  there  are  two  spe- 
cimens,  Tennant,  author  of  Anster  Fair,  Dr.  Chal- 
mers, John  Gait,  Lucy  Aiken,  Dr.  Parr,  John  Wil- 
son's note  to  William  Blackwood,  Granville  Sharp, 
Clarkson  to  Joseph  Lancaster,  Duke  of  Bedford  to 
the  same,  Rev.  Dr.  Rippon,  Thomas  Campbell,  Wm. 
Jay  the  preacher,  Shee  the  poet  and  artist,  Rogers 
the  poet,  Martin  the  painter,  Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan, 
J.  R.  M'Culloch,  Murray  the  publisher,  Mrs.  M'Le- 
hon  the  Clarinda  of  Robert  Burns,  Dibdin  the  Bio- 
grapher, Principal  Baird  of  Edinburgh,  Wilberforce, 
Du  Portail  the  French  minister,  Atherton  the  poet, 
Dr.  Wardlaw,  Dr.  Currie  of  Liverpool,  Rev.  Row- 
land  Hill,  Wiffen,  the  excellent  translator  of  Tasso, 
Count  Ney,  the  Rer^  Matthew  Wilks,  William 
Godwin,  Miss  Jewsbury,  the  late  Mrs.  Fletcher, 
Godoy  the  Prince  of  Peace,  Miss  Francis  Wright, 
Rev.  Matthew  Henry  the  Bible  Commentator,  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  Thomas  Hartwell  Home,  Sir 
John  Sinclair,  Archdeacon  Wrangham,  Matthews 
the  Comedian,  Francis  Jeffrey,  Mr.  Alison  of  Edin- 
burgh, Leigh  Hunt,  Prof.  Jamieson  of  Edinburgh, 
Scoresby  the  Artie  Navigator,  Robert  Owen,  But- 
ton the  antiquary  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  William 
Roscoe,  Rev.  Prof.  Lee  of  Cambridge,  with  mottoes 
in  Hebrew,  Arabic,  Persian,  and  English,  Lord  Gren- 
ville,  (an  order  for  some  plants,)  Mrs.  Hemans  to  a 
friend  on  songs  and  song-writing,  Lockhart,  Napier, 
present  editor  E.  R.,  Thomas  Coke  the  celebrated 
Methodist,  Dr.  Lettsom*  an  elegant  letter  of  intro- 
duction  from  Baron  Humboldt  to  the  late  Stephen 


A    WEEK    AMOXG    AUTOGRAPHS.  399 

Elliott,  written  in  French,  Geo.  Canning,  Gen. 
Oglethorpe  when  in  Georgia,  Dr.  Fothergill  to  John 
Bartram,  De  Quincy  the  Opium-eater,  James  the 
Novelist,  Ryder,  Bishop  of  Litchfield  and  Coven- 
try,  Gen.  Moreau,  Miss  Edgeworth,  and  Miss  Mar- 
tineau. 

Of  simple  signatures,  we  have  those  of  Chateau, 
briand,  Bishop  Watson  to  a  College  bill  of  the  late 
Judge  Grimke  when  at  the  University  of  Cambridge, 
Sir  Robert  Peel,  Miss  Benger,  Lord- Sidmouth,  Lord 
Lauderdale,  William  Hovvitt,  Sir  A.  Cooper,  Earl 
Grey,  Sir  Jas.  M'Intosh,  Helen  Maria  Williams, 
Lord  Castlereagh,  Lord  Eldon,  Lord  Ersldne,  two 
of  Louis  the  Sixteenth,  one  of  Lord  Melbourne,  the 
Marchioness  of  Wellesley,  Marshal  Davoust,  Leigh 
Richmond,  Joseph  Hume,  Geo.  Thomson  the  friend 
of  Burns,  William  Pitt,  the  present  Duke  of  Graf, 
ton,  the  present  King  of  England  when  Duke  of 
Clarence,  being  the  address  and  franking  of  a  letter 
from  him  to  Prof.  Lee  of  Cambridge,  Lord  John 
Russel,  Duke  of  Devonshire,  franks  of  a  large 
number  of  members  of  Parliament,  Lord  Liverpool, 
Countess  of  Huntingdon,  Whitfield's  friend  ;  Tal- 
leyrand, an  almost  impenetrable  signature ;  Buck- 
ingham the-traveller  and  writer,  Lord  Hill,  and  Sis- 
mondi. 

The  collection  which  I  now  have  attempted  to 
describe  is  liberally  open  to  the  inspection  of  every 
respectable  inquirer.  Any  important  contribution 
to  it  is  received  with  gratitude  by  the  proprietor. 
Should  the  present  essay  awaken  attention  to  the 


400  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

subject,  the  writer  will  recur  with  increased  pleasure 
to  his  week  spent  among  autographs. 

ANOTHER  WEEK  AMONG  THE  AUTOGRAPHS. 

A  number  of  valuable  acquisitions  has  been  made  to 
the  collection  of  T.  K.  Tefft,  Esq.  and  his  kindness 
permits  the  following  notices  of  them  to  be  commu- 
nicated to  the  public. 

We  have,  first,  a  letter  from  John  Pynchon  to  his 
son  in  London,  dated  Boston,  May  18,  1672.  This 
was  forty-two  years  after  the  settlement  of  Boston. 
The  sight  of  this  manuscript  carries  us  back  to  "  the 
day  of  small  things  "  in  that  now  populous  and  ex- 
tended city.  We  see  in  imagination  its  three  or  four 
churches  scattered  among  the  three  hills  of  the  place. 
We  see  its  few  crooked  streets  (a  quality  which  they 
still  possess,)  winding  about  to  accommodate  the  ga- 
thering settlers.  Boston  at  this  period  contained 
probably  three  thousand  inhabitants.  Even  then 
they  were  a  noble  set  of  men.  Only  eleven  years 
after  the  date  of  this  letter,  when  the  colony  of  Mas- 
sachusetts fell  under  the  displeasure  of  Charles  II. 
who  issued  a  decree  against  its  charter,  a  legal  town- 
meeting  of  the  freemen  was  held,  and  the  question 
was  put  to  vote,  whether  it  was  their  wish  that  the 
general  court  should  resign  the  charter  and  the  pri- 
vileges therein  granted,  and  it  was  resolved  in  the 
negative  unanimously.  Soon  after,  Sir  Edward  An- 
dros  was  appointed  the  first  royal  governor,  and  his 
administration  proving  arbitrary  and  oppressive,  the 
people  took  forcible  possession  of  the  fort  in  Boston, 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  401 

and  of  the  castle  in  the  harbor,  turned  the  guns  upon 
the  frigate  Rose,  and  compelled  her  to  surrender, 
seized  the  governor,  and  held  him  a  close  prisoner 
under  guard  in  the  castle.  These  were  evidently  the 
true  progenitors  of  those  sons,  who,  in  1765,  resist- 
ed  the  Stamp  Act,  and  in  1773  emptied  the  tea  chests 
into  the  dock. 

The  letter  before  us,  however,  which  begins  with 
"  Son  Joseph,"  is  only  an  effusion  of  anxiety  and 
complaint  from  a  loving  father,  who  had  heard  no 
tidings  from  his  son  for  a  long  time.  He  seems  to 
have  resided  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  to  have  made 
a  journey  all  the  way  to  Boston  to  hear  something 
of  his  son.  Though  short,  the  letter  is  full  of  reli- 
gious  expressions.  How  different  in  this  respect 
from  most  letters  in  modern  days.  The  writer  prays 
that  his  son  may  be  delivered  from  the  tempest  of 
the  times,  and  so  with  his  earnest  prayers  he  leaves 
him  to  the  Lord. 

The  next  specimen  (we  take  them  promiscuously, 
without  classification,)  is  worth  more  than  its  weight 
in  gold.  It  is  no  less  than  a  long  letter  from  the 
celebrated  poet  Wieland,  author  of  Oberon,  and  nu- 
merous other  works  of  the  rarest  merit.  It  is  ad- 
dressed to  Pfeffel,  himself  a  jurist  and  diplomatist  of 
considerable  eminence.  Many  an  enthusiastic  Ger- 
man would  cheerfully  give  a  small  bit  of  his  little 
finger  to  be  possessed  of  this  treasure.  It  is  observ- 
ed by  Menzel,  one  of  the  ablest  living  German  cri- 
tics, that  "  it  was  Wieland  who  first  restored  to  Ger- 
man poetry  the  free  and  fearless  glance  of  a  child 
34* 


402  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

of  the  world*;  a  natural  grace,  a  taste  for  cheerful 
merriment,  and  the  power  of  affording  it.  The 
cheerful,  amiable,  refined  Wieland,  he  continues,  a 
genius  exhaustless  in  grace  and  lightness,  in  wit  and 
jest,  banished  the  unnatural  from  German  poetry } 
discovered  nature  in  the  world  as  it  is,  and  taught 
the  national  mind  to  move  easily,  firmly,  and  in  har- 
mony." From  this  description,  we  may  suppose 
that  a  German  would  value  an  autograph  of  Wie- 
land as  highly  as  an  Englishman  would  prize  one 
of  Pope  or  Addison,  or  an  American,  one  of  Irving. 
It  does  not  diminish,  but  rather  enhances  the  value 
of  the  specimen  before  us  that  it  was  written  when 
Wieland  was  quite  a  young  man— only  about  seven  - 
teen  years  old  ;  for  we  have  examples  enough  of  his 
composition  at  more  advanced  periods,  and  our  curio- 
sity is  particularly  gratified  by  seeing  how  the  youth, 
ful  poet  and  scholar  expressed  himself,  so  long  before 
he  felt  the  public  eyes  of  admiration  and  criticism  fas- 
tened upon  him.  The  letter  itself  is  of  sufficient  in- 
terest  to  be  extracted  entire.  We  make  use,  with  a 
few  immaterial  alterations,  of  a  translation  furnish- 
ed Mr.  Tefft  by  some  German  friend : 

"  GOETTINGEN,  April  16,  1750. 

"  Dearest  and  best  Aulic  Counsellor  :* 

"  I  have  been  waiting  three  or  four  days  for  the 
departure  of  the  mail,  to  give  you  some  accounts  of 

*  An  Aulic  Counsellor  was  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  German  empire. 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  403 

my  journey  and  happy  arrival  at  Goettingen.  Our 
fate,  as  far  down  as  Durlach,  you  have  learned  from 
Mr.  Wild.  I  arrived  safely  at  Frankfort,  where  I 
stayed  the  greatest  part  of  the  time  with  Mr.  Sara- 
sin,  and  after  three  days  went  to  Cassel,  where  I  ex- 
perienced  a  kind  reception  from  the  Countess.  She 
desired  me  to  let  the  mail-coach  proceed,  and  pro- 
mised to  procure  me  a  private  conveyance  for  Goet- 
tingen. An  acquaintance  of  hers  conducted  me 
through  the  whole  town,  and  gave  me  a  sight  of 
every  thing  remarkable.  I  had  her  invitation  for 
supper,  breakfast,  and  dinner.  I  related  to  her  the 
conduct  of  her  son. — his  faults — his  indolence — 
without  the  least  reserve.  She  was  much  pleased 
when  she  heard  that,  notwithstanding  all  of  them,  he 
still  retained  the  affection  of  yourself  and  Mr.  Lerfe. 
She  promises  to  aid  you  in  some  suitable  method  to 
effect  his  correction.  Full  confidence  is  placed  in 
your  skill  and  experience  in  education,  and  she  will 
shortly  write  to  Colmar.  The  letter  I  received  at 
Frankfort  from  the  Count,  gave  her  a  great  deal  of  un- 
easiness, as  it  spoke  of  a  rising  upon  his  right  shoulder. 
It  was  her  wish  that  he  should  drink  beer  in  lieu  of 
wine  at  his  meals.  May  I  beseech  you,  my  dearest 
Mr.  Pfeffel,  to  console  her  on  these  two  points  in  your 
next  monthly  letter.  She  truly  deserves  all  the  at- 
tention and  pains  that  you  can  take  on  her  account. 
She  is  the  noblest  woman — the  best  mother — so 
without  all  pretension,  and  full  of  kindness.  Never 
have  I  seen  so  many  good  qualities  united  in  one 
woman.  Do  not  consider  this  a  blind  judgment  of 


40  i  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

mine  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  was  fully  prejudiced  against 
her  ere  I  knew  her  so  completely,  and  I  feel  persuad- 
ed, that  after  the  visit  she  intends  paying  you,  you 
will  be  of  the  same  opinion  with  me.  The  Count, 
as  much  as  I  esteem  his  good  heart,  is  not  worthy 
of  such  a  mother.  May  you  soon  be  able  to  give 
her  better  news  of  him.  She  expects  none  before  the 
expiration  of  three  months,  but  flatters  herself  that 
her  contemplated  measures,  together  with  his  govern- 
ors, will  produce  a  change  of  mind.  She  gave  me 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  Pastor  Feder,  and  desired 
me  to  write  to  her  from  time  to  time. 

"Monday  the  10th,  I  arrived  here  at  Goettingen. 
Your  son  is  perfectly  well.  We  board  together 
with  young  Stonar,  (an  excellent  youth,)  Escher  from 
Zurich,  and  Zwickig;  and  as  our  chambers  are  close 
together,  we  can  always  be  in  company.  He  has 
given  me  his  entire  confidence,  and  I  think  we  shall 
continue  in  the  closest  harmony.  How  great  is  my 
good  fortune  to  cultivate  that  friendship  with  the 
son  which  his  noblest  father  has  honored  me  with  ! 
To-morrow  our  lectures  commence,  four  of  which  we 
have  in  common,  and  we  can  repeat  together. 

"I  cannot  express  my  thanks  for  your  letters  of 
introduction  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Less,  and  the  kindness 
and  indulgence  you  have  favoured  me  with.  It  is 
my  daily  wish  that  an  opportunity  may  occur  to 
enable  me  by  deeds  to  show  that  I  am  not  ungrate- 
ful. 

"I  am  much  pleased  with  this  city  and  its  esta- 
blishments, but  never  walked  a  more  costly  pavement. 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  405 

The  purse  must  be  continually  in  hand,  and  every 
thing  is  paid  tor  fourfold. 

"  May  you,  my  dearest  and  best  Aulic  Counsellor^ 
continue  in  uninterrupted  health.  Remember  me  in 
the  circles  of  your  amiable  friends,  your  dearest  con- 
sort,  Mr.  Lerfe,  Luce  and  his  worthy  companion,  the 
country  counsellor,  most  kiadly  ;  and  accept  assu- 
rances of  my  everlasting  attachment  and  regard. 
Your  obedient  friend  and,  servant,  WIELAND." 

The  document  receives  an  additional  value  by 
being  endorsed  in  the  hand-writing  of  Pfeffel  himself 
— «  Wieland,  ce  24  April,  1750."  Thus  we  have  a 
a  double  autograph  on  one  instrument. 

We  next  take  up  a  curious  old  affair,  dated  some- 
where in  England,  in  1662,  and  addressed  to  the  Mr. 
John  Pynchon  already  noticed.  It  purports  to  be  a 
letter,  partly  of  religious  consolation,  and  partly 
of  business ;  and  both  consolation  and  business,  as 
was  the  custom  in  those  earnest  old  times,  are  dis- 
cussed with  all  the  writer's  heart.  The  hand-writing 
is  beautiful,  but  peculiar,  and  not  to  be  decyphered 
by  many  modern  eyes.  It  displays  a  laudable  atten- 
tion to  economy  of  paper.  There  is  nothing  in  it, 
however,  sufficiently  striking  to  demand  an  extract. 

Then  follows  a  note  from  E.  H.  Barker,  Esq.  one 
of  the  book-worms  of  England,  and  editor  of  Web- 
ster's Dictionary  in  that  country.  It  is  an  apology 
to  a  friend  for  not  being  able  to  find  some  volume  or 
other  belonging  to  him,  but  promises  that  "  to-mor- 
row  the  fox  shall  be  unearthed  "  from  a  very  large 
box  of  books  and  papers  where  it  lies. 


406  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

The  next  is  a  truly  precious  memorial — a  note  of 
Alexander  Cunningham  from  Dr.  Hugh  Blair,  author 
of  the  "  Sermons"  and  "  Lectures  on  Rhetoric." 
Both  the  authorship  and  the  subject-matter  induce 
us  to  extract  it  entire,  although  it  has  already  been 
printed  in  Currie's  Life  of  Burns. 

"  Dear  Sir, — As  you  told  me  that  you  had  in 
view  in  the  new  Edition  of  Mr.  Burn's  works  to  pub- 
lish  some  of  his  Letters,  I  now  send  you  enclosed 
(as  I  promised  you,)  his  Letter  of  thanks  to  me  upon 
his  leaving  Edinburgh.  It  is  so  much  marked  by 
the  stroke  of  his  Genius,  that  I  thought  it  worth 
while  to  present  it,  among  letters  from  some  other 
persons.  If  you  think  it  proper  to  be  published  with 
other  Letters  of  his,  I  have  no  objection.  You  will 
please  take  a  copy  of  it,  and  send  me  back  the  Ori. 
ginal,  which  I  mean  to  keep.  I  would  have  called 
with  it,  but  I  am  still  confined  by  some  remains  of 
the  Gout,  and  by  a  Cold  which  I  contracted  on  com- 
ing  to  town. 

"  Yours,  most  faithfully,  HTTGH  BLAIR. 

"  Argyle  Square,  Friday,  'Zd  December." 

It  will  be  seen  here  that  Dr.  Blair  in  a  few  instances 
retains  the  antique  fashion  of  beginning  his  noun. sub- 
stantives with  capital  letters.  Another  peculiarity, 
and  identical  with  Sir  Walter  Scott's,  which  we  for- 
merly  noticed,  is,  that  he  rarely  ever  dots  an  i  or  crosses 
a  t,  and  is  much  too  sparing  of  his  punctuation. 
Out  of  the  thirty-eight  small  i's  occurring  in  the  note, 
to  say  nothing  of  several  neglected  j's,  only  five  are 

- 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGKAFIIS.  407 

dotted.  What  could  have  been  the  secret  cause  of 
this  distinction  1  Was  it  mere  caprice,  or  was  it 
everlasting  principle?  Perhaps  a  few  dots  were 
conscientiously  sprinkled  here  and  there  to  preserve 
the  justs  rights  of  this  excellent  little  letter  from  ut- 
ter prostration.  The  t's  fare  a  great  deal  worse,  for 
they  have  not  the  sign  of  a  cross  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  the  note.  There  is  nothing,  not  even 
a  difference  in  length,  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
lofty  1's.  The  entire  note,  however,  is  written  in  a 
large,  bold,  legible  hand  ;  wonderful  almost,  in  fact, 
for  a  man  of  about  eighty  years  of  age,  which  Dr. 
B.  must  have  been  at  the  time  of  writing  it.  Do  we 
then  see  before  us  the  actual  chirography  in  which 
were  penned  those  beautiful  and  admirable  sermons 
that  have  charmed  so  many  thousand  readers  of  taste 
and  pious  sensibility,  as  well  as  those  far-famed  lec- 
tures, which,  in  spite  of  some  defects,  have  formed 
and  guided  the  taste  of  the  last  and  present  genera- 
tions of  English  and  American  scholars  ?  Emotions, 
at  once  classical  and  sacred,  may  well  be  excused 
for  overflowing  at  the  sight  of  a  relic  like  this. 
Nor  can  we  be  induced  to  dismiss  it  without  fondly 
lingering  over  it  a  little  longer,  and  detecting  even 
the  slightest  peculiarity,  which  may  transport  us  in 
imagination  into  the  familiar  presence  of  the  much 
honored  dead.  Behold,  then,  the  highly  decorated 
flourish  of  the  initial  H  in  the  signature  of  Hugh 
Blair  !  See  the  long  and  graceful  dash  which  the 
hand  of  the  octogenarian  struck  forth  upon  the  su- 
perscription of  the  note  !  Who  can  fail  to  perceive 


408  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

even  in  these  minute  characteristics,  the  external 
traces  of  that  elegant  mind  which  had  so  long  been 
employed  in  the  fervent  contemplation  of  beauty  in 
all  its  forms  and  manifestations  ? 

We  must  also  notice  the  large  thick  black  wafer, 
which  mutely  tells  the  story  of  some  recent  bereave- 
ment in  the  family  of  the  venerable  sage.  The  ir- 
regular folds,  which  considerably  differ  from  a  per- 
fect parallelogram,  shall  be  charitably  ascribed  to 
the  trembling  hand  of  age,  or  to  the  unavoidable 
hurry  of  the  moment.  Doubtless  the  writer  had 
many  billets  to  answer,  and  many  attentions  to 
respond  to,  on  his  occasional  visits  to  town.  Nor 
shall  criticism  be  severe  on  the  slight  mistake  at  the 
beginning  of  the  note,  where,  in  the  expression 
"  Mr.  Burn's  works,"  by  a  wrong  location  of  the 
apostrophe,  the  poet's  name  is  written  as  if  it  were 
Burn  instead  of  Burns.  We  remember  that  some 
enemy  of  the  Doctor  during  his  lifetime,  goaded  by 
the  fact  that  ten  editions  of  the  first  volume  of  his 
sermons  were  called  for  in  one  year  after  their  pub- 
lication, malignantly  sent  forth  to  the  world  an  appal- 
ling list  of  all  sorts  of  errors  discovered  in  that  sin- 
gle volume  of  a  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Belles 
Letters  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  A  far  dif- 
ferent feeling,  even  a  sacred  and  revering  curiosity, 
has  actuated  us  in  thus  examining,  as  it  were,  the 
very  shreds  and  dust  of  this  hallowed  instrument, 
which  we  now  reluctantly  dismiss. 

We  have    next    a  sensible,  fatherly  letter,  dated 
Edinburgh,  1786,  from   the  Earl   of  Dalhousie  to 


A   WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  409 

some  teacher  in  Colmar  on  the  Continent,  to  whom 
he  had  consigned  his  two  sons  for  their  education. 
He  wishes  their  preceptor  to  pay  particular  attention 
to  their  Latin,  but  leaves  every  thing  else  to  his  ex. 
perience  and  discretion. 

Following  this,  we  take  up  what  must  be  allowed 
on  all  hands  to  be  quite  an  autographical  gem.  It 
is  the  superscription  of  a  note,  addressed  by  Frederic 
the  Great  to  his  confidential  friend  and  correspondent, 
the  distinguished  Baron  de  la  Motte  Fouque.  The 
paper  employed  by  his  Majesty  was  a  thick,  coarse, 
bluish  white.  But  what  had  the  greatest  warrior  of 
the  age,  when  writing  to  one  of  his  ablest  generals, 
to  do  with  pink-colored,  hot-pressed,  wire-wove,  gilt- 
edge,  billet-doux  fabrics?  The  superscription  is 
written  in  a  noble  and  beautiful  style — bold,  grand, 
flowing,  as  if  executed  by  a  hand  accustomed  to  the 
victories  of  the  seven  years'  war — at  the  same  time, 
however,  perfectly  distinct  and  legible,  as  if  charac- 
teristic  of  a  monarch  who  was  equally  inclined  to 
the  pursuits  of  literature  and  taste.  The  leading 
address  is  in  French,  after  this  fashion  : 

"  To  my  General  of  Infantry, 
The  Baron  de  la  Motte  Fouque, 
at 

Brandenburg." 

At  one  corner  of  the  superscription  is  written  in 
the  German  language  this  announcement : — "  Ac- 
companied by  a  box  of  cherries,  and  two  melons." 
35 


410  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

On  another  fold  of  the  paper  is  written  in  French, 
in  Fouque's  hand-writing,  which  confers  on  it  a 
highly  additional  value,  the  following  notice : — 

"  Sans-Souci,  July  5,  1766. 
Invitation  to  come  to  Sans-Souci, 
together  with  the  reply." 

Sans-Souci,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  well- 
known  name  of  the  palace  near  Potsdam,  where 
Frederic  the  Great  was  fond  of  residing.  He  is 
sometimes  called  the  philosopher  of  Sans-Souci. 

The  autograph  is  still  farther  enriched  by  a  dis- 
tinct and  finely  preserved  seal  of  the  royal  coat  of 
arms.  The  device  is  gorgeously  beautiful. 

Two  intelligent  Germans,  to  whom  we  have  shown 
the  whole  specimen,  much  doubt  whether,  after  all, 
it  contains  the  veritable  hand- writing  of  the  re- 
nowned monarch.  They  assert  that  Frederic  hav- 
ing only  had  a  French  education,  was  incapable  of 
writing  such  correct  German  as  the  inscription  in 
the  corner  of  the  note.  They  think  it  probable  that 
the  whole  direction  proceeded  from  the  pen  of  the 
Royal  secretary.  If  these  suggestions  should  prove 
correct,  of  course  the  delightful  visions  of  our  imagi- 
nation  respecting  the  correspondency  of  the  hand- 
writing  with  Frederic's  character  must  be  dispelled 
into  air,  unless  we  suppose  that  the  secretary  him- 
self,  by  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  his 
master,  had  imbibed  some  of  his  lofty  qualities. 

The  votaries  pf  legal  literature  may  next  enjoy  a 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  411 

rare  treat  from  inspecting  a  business-letter  written 
by  William  Murray,  afterwards  Earl  of  Mansfield, 
to  the  Marchioness  of  Annandale.  It  is  dated  Lin- 
coin's  Inn,  1st  June,  1742,  the  year  in  which  he  was 
appointed  Solicitor  General  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven.  Accompanying,  though  unconnected  with 
this  letter,  is  the  endorsement  of  a  pecuniary  draft 
by  Lord  Stormont,  father  of  Lord  Mansfield. 

Adjoining  this,  we  have  a  ticket  of  admission  into 
Professor  Dalziel's  highest  Greek  class,  with  the 
name  of  Alexander  Murray  written  upon  it  by  the 
Professor  himself.  The  sight  of  it  may  refresh 
many  an  eye  that  owes  the  deepest  obligations  to 
those  lucid  notes  in  the  Collectanea  Major  a  and  Mi- 
nora. 

There  is  next  a  very  curious  historical  document, 
penned  by  the  Earl  of  Annandale  in  the  year  1707, 
in  the  midst  of  the  troubles  which  distracted  Scot- 
land  at  that  period.  Many  a  letter  has  been  printed 
far  less  interesting  than  this.  It  transports  us  to  the 
very  field  of  battle,  where  we  are  told  of  prisoners 
coming,  in  and  Highlanders  threatening  attacks, 
and  the  Duke  of  Argyle  having  returned  to  the  camp, 
and  eight  score  of  the  enemy  having  just  been  seen 
climbing  the  hills,  &c.  &c.,  and  all  written  on  a 
piece  of  paper  so  small  as  to  show  the  extreme  scar- 
city  of  that  article  even  in  the  government  camp. 

Lo  !  another  precious  relic  !  A  leaf  from  the 
Diary  of  Henry  Kirke  White,  the  poet.  We  all  re- 
member  that  poor  Henry  passed  some  time  in  an  at- 
torney's  office  before  he  was  assisted  by  Mr  Wil. 


412  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

berforce  to  prepare  jfor  an  University  education. 
While  breathing  that  ungenial  atmosphere,  he  com- 
mitted  to  paper  this  brief  skeleton. record  of  a  few  of 
his  unhappy  days.  The  very  sight  of  it  is  dreary 
and  melancholy  like  the  writer's  heart.  All  that  we 
here  learn  of  his  occupations,  is,  that  on  Saturday, 
the  8th  of  some  month  or  other,  he  was  engaged  in 
"  entering  up  the  Hall  books  ;  on  Monday  the  10th, 
copying  all  the  morning  certain  letters  for  Mr.  En- 
field  ;  on  Wednesday,  fair  copying  a  schedule  of 
tines  and  amercements ;  on  Thursday,  do.  do., 
another  copy  on  unstamped  parchment ;  on  Friday 
the  14th,  drawing  advertisement  of  two  heifers,  the 
property  of  Edward  Musson,  being  stolen  or  strayed 
out  of  his  close  in  the  parish  of  Radford.  Attend. 
ing  the  printer  therewith,"  &c.  &c. 

One  blessed  blank  appears  amidst  these  worldly 
details.  It  is  that  of  Sunday  the  9th.  Nothing  is 
recorded  under  this  date,  except  the  simple  day. 
And  one  cannot  but  vividly  sympathise  with  such 
a  being  as  Kirke  White  for  this  short  though  hap- 
py  respite  from  labours  which  he  must  have  loath- 
ed.  Henry  Kirke  White's  Sabbath  !  It  is  almost 
a  subject  for  a  poem.  Imagination  follows  him  to 
his  closet,  to  his  church,  to  his  lonely  evening 
walk,  to  the  long  portion  of  his  night  spent  over 
his  Bible,  his  Milton,  or.  some  of  England's  noblest 
divines.  The  hand-writing  of  this  specimen  is  man- 
ly,  and  elegantly  plain. 

This  is  succeeded  by  another  rarity  ;  a  letter  from 
the  celebrated  George  Whitefield,  dated  London, 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  413 

June  13,  1755,  then  in  the  41st  year  of  his  age, 
to  his  nephew  James  Whitefield  at  Savannah  in 
Georgia.  It  is  so  characteristic,  that  it  must  here  be 
inserted  entire : 

• 

"My  Dear  Jemmy — I  wrote  to  you  a  few  days 
ago  by  a  Carolina  ship,  and  since  that  have  receiv- 
ed your  two  letters,  which  convinced  me  that  you 
was  not  ungrateful.  May  this  crime  of  crimes  in 
respect  either  to  God  or  man,  be  never  justly  laid  to 
your  charge  !  Remember  your  present  as  well  fu- 
ture  and  eternal  all  in  a  great  measure  depends  on 
the  improvement  of  a  few  growing  years.  Be  steady 
and  diligent  and  pious  now,  and  you  will  find  that 
God  will  do  wonders  for  you.  The  Captain  is  might- 
ily pleased ;  and  your  father,  notwithstanding  his 
affrction  to  see  you,  is  glad  you  are  provided  for. 
Your  sister  Fanny  will  soon  be  married,  and  Fanny 
Greville  is  already  disposed  of.  Her  husband  (a 
young  attorney  of  Bath,)  hath  sent  me  a  very  oblig. 
ing  letter.  Oh  that  my  relations  were  born  of  God  ! 
I  hope  you  will  not  rest  without  it.  To  encourage 
you  in  outward  matters,  I  have  sent  you,  in  part  of 
payment,  some  loaf  sugar,  which  I  thought  would  be 
a  good  commodity.  Your  father  also  hath  sent  you 
some  buckles,  knit  breeches,  and  a  dolphin  cheese, 
with  a  letter.  All  which  I  hope  will  come  to  hand. 
Write  often  ;  work  hard,  and  pray  much,  and  believe 
me  to  be,  my  dear  Jemmy, 

"  Your  affectionate  uncle  and  assured  friend, 

«G.  W." 
35* 

' 


414  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

We  next  come  to  a  little  note  of  thanks  from 
Frederic  William,  the  present  King  of  Prussia,  to  a 
German  author,  from  whom  he  had  received  the  pre- 
sent of  a  Biography  of  Calvin.  The  signature 
alone  is  in  the  hand-writing  of  Frederic,  the  rest  of 
the  note  by  some  private  secretary.  There  is  no- 
thing  else  remarkable  about  it,  except  perhaps  the 
royal  munificence  with  which  a  whole  sheet  of  su- 
perfine letter  paper  is  devoted  to  Jhe  writing  of  three 
close  lines.  The  circumstance  marks  perhaps  an  ad- 
vance in  refinement  from  the  whitey-brown  paper 
employed  .in  the  note  of  Frederick's  warlike  prede- 
cessor, which  has  already  been  remarked  upon. 

Following  this,  is  a  curious  affair,  which  appears 
to  be  enveloped  in  a  little  mystery.  It  is  something 
like 'a  mourning  card,  containing  an  inscription  by 
the  celebrated  Lavater.  It  was  lately  given  to  Dr. 
Sprague  of  Albany  by  Lavater's  son-in-law  at  Zurich, 
in  Switzerland,  the  birth-place  and  residence  of  the 
great  physiognomist.  The  following  is  an  exact 
translation  of  the  whole  inscription  : 

"  To  a  Friend  after  my  Death. 
Let  every  thing  be  a  sin  to  thee,  and  that 
alone,  which  separates  thee  from  the 
Lord.  18th  November,  1794.  L." 

The  sentiment  is  so  excellent,  that  we  will  attempt 
to  give  it  here  a  metrical  clothing  : 

Detest  as  sinful,  and  detest  alone 
Whate'er  removes  thee  from  th'  Eternal  One. 


* 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  415 

Another  card  succeeds,  of  a  different  kind,  but  of 
still  more  value,  probably,  as  an  Autograph.  It  is  from 
the  celebrated  Goethe,  who  asks  of  Professor  Riemer 
the  loan,  for  a  short  time,  of  the  Bohemian  Gram- 
mar.  This,  by  the  way,  is  an  excellent  method  of 
borrowing  books.  The  card  is  a  kind  of  substantial 
acknowledgment,  which  leads  at  once  to  the  re- 
covery of  a  missing,  volume  often  of  more  value  to 
its  owner  than  money.  When  will  the  borrowers 
of  books  exercise  consciences  void  of  offence  in  this 
matter,  and  be  as  scrupulous  in  restoring  to  the  pro  - 
prietor  some  cherished  author,  or  the  fragment  of 
some  precious  set  of  twelve  or  twenty  volumes,  as 
they  are  in  renewing  a  note  at  the  Bank  or  discharg- 
ing the  bill  of  a  flourishing  tradesman  ?  Until  a 
more  scrupulous  punctuality  oh  this  subject  shall  pre- 
vail, the  morality  and  the  civilization  of  literature 
will  be  far  from  perfect.  To  return  to  Goethe's 
card,  we  have  only  further  to  observe,  that  the  signa- 
ture alone  appears  to  be  the  hand-writing  of  the  great 
magician. poet,  while  the  rest  of  the  manuscript  pro- 
bably  proceeded  from  his  amanuensis. 

It  was  intimated  on  a  former  occasion  that  one 
of  the  strongest  passions  of  Autograph- collectors  is 
to  procure  a  complete  list  of  the  Signers  of  the  De- 
claration of  Independence.  Mr.  Tefft  has  recently 
received  from  his  friend,  Dr.  Sprague  of  Albany, 
among  numerous  other  invaluable  specimens,  the  au- 
tograph of  Richard  Stockton,  one  of  the  Signers  of 
the  Declan^fcion.  It  has  been  for  years  upon  his 
list  of  desiderata,  and  was  almost  despaired  of,  as  be- 


416  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

ing  probably  no  longer  extant.  Accompanying  it 
was  an  autograph  of  Mrs.  Richard  Stockton,  the 
poetess,  who  received  from  Gen.  Washington  the 
highest  compliment  he  ever  paid. 

Among  the  less  important  documents  of  this  col- 
lection, we  have — 

First,  A  Note,  dated  Strasbourg,  1785,  from 
Charles,  Prince  of  Soleure,  who  appears  to  be  a  very 
dutiful  young  prince,  and  is  anxious  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  a  visit  from  his  two  brothers. 

Next,  A  Note  from  Constable,  the  great  Edin- 
burgh publisher,  enclosing  Two  Guineas  to  Alex- 
ander Murray,  who  has  sketched  on  the  back  of  it 
the  outlines  of  a  sermon. 

Next,  one  from  Sophie  de  la  Roche,  a  celebrated 
authoress  of  the  last  century,  who  appears  in  this  note 
to  address  some  English  friends  who  had  placed  a 
daughter  under  her  care  at  Spire. 

Next,  a  superscription  in  the  hand-writing  of 
Spring  Rice,  one  of  the  ablest  of  the  present  ministry 
of  Great  Britain. 

Next,  a  Note  of  two  lines  from  Benjamin  Constant, 
informing  Monsieur  Monod  where  some  individual 
resides.  This  is  a  valuable  autograph. 

Next,  one  from  Napier,  the  present  editor  of  the 
Edinburgh  Review,  who  almost  rivals  his  predeces- 
sor Lord  Jeffrey  for  the  illegibility  and  obliquity  of 
his  manuscript. 

Next,  a  precious  scrap  from  Alexander  Humboldt, 
informing  some  publisher  of  the  height  of  the  city 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  417 

of  Hague,  to  be  noticed  in  the  margin  of  a  forth- 
coming volume. 

Next,  a  Manuscript  Leaf  from  the  original  copy 
of  the  celebrated  "  Words  of  a  a  Believer,"  by  the 
Abbe  de  la  Mennais.  Wild  as  the  work  is,  he  ap- 
pears to  have  adopted  much  pains  and  method  in  the 
transcription  of  it. 

Next,  a  sweet  little  Quaker  Note  from  Amelia  Opie 
to  some  bookseller,  ordering  a  number  of  works, 
which  she  wishes  to  present  to  a  friend. 

Next,  a  billet  from  George  Combe,  the  celebrated 
phrenologist,  on  the  subject  of  an  overcharged  let- 
ter in  the  Post-Office. 

Next,  a  scrap  from  Dr.  Bowring,  soliciting  inter- 
est  to  obtain  certain  subscriptions. 

We  then  come  to  a  mass  of  billets,  memoranda, 
and  letters — from  Schlosser,  an  admired  German 
poet ;  from  Grand  Pierre,  head  of  the  Mission  School 
in  Paris,  a  very  eloquent  and  able  man  ;  from  D* 
Aubigne  Professor  at  Geneva,  author  of  the  History 
of  the  Reformation,  and  various  other  works  ;  from 
Gaussen,  another  distinguished  professor  at  Geneva  ; 
from  Steffens,  the  great  natural  philosopher ;  from 
Raumer,  author  of  Travels  in  England,  &c.  &c. ; 
from  Gesenius,  the  Biblical  critic  ;  from  Cheneviere, 
author  of  many  works ;  from  Philip  Buttman,  the 
great  Greek  scholar  ;  from  Francis  Bopp,  the  best 
Sanscrit  scholar  of  the  age  ;  from  Freytag,  the  Ori- 
entalist ;  from  Frederic  de  Schleiermacher,  the  great- 
est theologian  of  his  time  ;  from  A.  Pfeffel,  the 
diplomatist,  and  brother  of  the  blind  poet ;  from 


418  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

John  Henry  Pestalozzi,  distinguished  for  his  efforts 
in  the  cause  of  education,  &c.  ;  from  Boettiger,  the 
celebrated  Antiquarian  ;  from  Twester,  author  of 
many  works  ;  from  Professor  Hengstenberg,  the 
great  Biblical  critic,  &c.  ;  from  Coquard,  the  poet, 
preacher,  &c.  &c. ;  from  Malan,  the  reformer ;  from 
the  Bishop  of  Exeter  ;  from  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  ; 
from  G.  De  Felece,  one  of  the  most  learned  theolo- 
gians in  France  ;  a  leaf  from  Busler's  Church  His- 
tory,  &c.  &c.  &c. ;  Notes  or  letters  from  George 
Bennett,  Esq.  the  excellent  missionary  circumnaviga- 
tor ;  from  William  Youngman,  author  of  various  theo- 
logical and  other  works,  a  man  of  great  talent ;  from 
George  Payne,  Tutor  at  the  Western  Academy,  and 
author  of  the  Elements  of  Mental  Philosophy  ;  from 
Felix  of  Bolbec,  one  of  the  ablest  theological  writ- 
ers in  France  ;  from  Principal  Baird  of  Edinburgh, 
who  applauds  and  criticises  a  literary  work  recent- 
ly presented  him  by  a  friend  ;  from  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Lee,  the  greatest  ecclesiastical  historian  in  Scotland  ; 
from  J.  S.  Buckingham,  the  indefatigable  and  enter- 
prising Member  of  the  House  of  Commons  ;  from 
John  Wilks,  the  celebrated  living  champion  of  the 
Dissenting  interest  in  Great  Britain ;  from  the 
Duchess  de  Broglie,  daughter  of  Madame  De  Stael  ; 
frctm  the  late  Dr.  Robert  Winter,  the  revered  patri- 
arch  of  the  Baptist  denomination  ;  from  Pfeffel, 
nephew  of  the  German  poet,  and  ambassador  to 
Bavaria  ;  from  David  Irving  of  Edinburgh,  a  dis. 
tinguished  author ;  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Arundel,  Se- 
cretary  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  to  George 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  419 

Bennett,  Esq. — an  interesting  letter  ;  from  the  Rev. 
Greville  Ewing  of  Glasgow,  author  of  a  Greek  Lex- 
icon  and  other  works,  a  letter  evincing  great  deli- 
cacy  of  sentiment ;  from  Oberlin,  a  celebrated  Pro- 
fessor  at  Strasburg  ;  from  the  German  poet  Knebel, 
translator  of  Lucretius,  &c. ;  from  Mullner,  one  of 
the  greatest  tragedians  of  Germany,  whose  merits 
have  been  made  known  in  England  by  translations 
of  several  of  his  tragedies  in  Blackwood's  Magazine  ; 
from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Burnet,  one  of  the  ablest  extern- 
pore  speakers  in  Great  Britain  ;  and  from  the  Mar- 
chioness  of  Annandale,  dated  1725,  acknowledging 
the  receipt  of  £1500,  arrears  of  jointure,  due  her 
from  her  hushand. 

The  adtnirers  of  German  sacred  literature  will  be 
gratified  by  the  inspection  of  a  manuscript  leaf  from 
the  original  of  Neander's  Church  History.  He 
is  the  most  popular  ecclesiastical  historian  of  the 
present  day.  The  sheet  before  us  appears  to  be  the 
conclusion  of  the  explanatory  notes,  and  inculcates 
the  spirit  in  which  true  Christianity  can  alone  be 
received  and  cultivated,  viz :  the  spirit  of  a  little 
child.  This  manuscript  was  presented  by  the  au- 
thor himself  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague  of  Albany, 
who  again  generously  transferred  it  to  Mr.  Tefft. 

Allusion  has  already  been  once  or  twice  made  to 
Dr.  Alexander  Murray.  This  gentleman  was  Pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and  the  great- 
est Oriental  scholar  of  his  day.  He  died  about  the 
year  1813.  He  was  author  of  a  "  History  of  the  Eu- 
ropean Languages,"  "  Life  of  Bruce  the  Traveller/ 


420  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS, 

and  other  works.  We  have  before  us  a  few  extreme- 
ly interesting  memorials  of  his  genius  and  pursuits. 
One  of  them  is  a  sheet  of  paper,  crowded  in  every 
part  with  some  of  the  exercises  of  the  great  linguist 
in  acquiring  a  foreign  tongue.  Among  his  other  ac- 
complishments, he  was  an  elegant  poet  ;  and  accord- 
ingly, we  have  here  a  few  rough  but  very  curious 
sketches  from  hia  muse.  The  following  unfinished 
stanza,  which  appears  to  be  the  commencement  of 
a  song  intended  for  some  festive  club,  will  strong- 
ly remind  us  of  the  daring,  reckless  tone  of  Robert 
Burns  : — 

"  Though  whingean'  carles  should  vex  their  hearts. 

And  ca'  our  social  meetings  sin, 
Awa !  we  ken  their  halie  arts ! 

An  honest  man  defies  their  din. 
W^hen  brithers  twelve  in  Session  sat, 

And  HE  was  HEAD  that  ken'd  them  a', 
The  Deil  came  ben,  and  claim'd  his  debt, 

The  sourest  man ." 

Probably  he  was  here  about  to  write  among  them  a\ 
But  perceiving  that  it  would  make  a  false  rhyme,  he 
threw  by  the  whole  affair,  which  has  thus  remained 
incomplete. 

On  another  scrap  of  paper,  we  find  a  few  elegiac 
stanzas,  quite  unfinished,  and  full  of  interlineary  cor- 
rections and  erasures,  but  intermingled  with  beautiful 
touches  of  poetry. 

A  gentleman  of  Charleston,  S.  C.  has  recently 
presented  Mr.  Tefft  with  a  letter  addressed  to  him 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  421 

seventeen  years  ago,  by  the  celebrated  Macauley, 
late  a  distinguished  member  of  Parliament,  and  now 
a  Judge  in  Bombay,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
contributors  to  the  Edinburgh  Review.  It  was  writ- 
ten when  both  himself  and  his  correspondent  were 
members  of  the  University  of  Cambridge  in  England, 
and  bears  evident  marks  of  that  resplendent  talent 
which  has  since  so  frequently  dazzled  and  delighted 
the  public  of  Great  Britain.  Some  characteristics 
of  Macauley  as  a  writer  may  be  found  in  the  Prun- 
ing Knife  of  Southern  Rose,  Vol.  4,  No.  8. 

Another  gentleman  of  Charleston  has  contributed 
a  signature  of  Gen.  Moullrie,  attached  to  some  pub- 
lic instrument,  and  accidentally  found  in  the  street. 
Moultrie  had  a  curious  device  or  flourish  with  which 
he  ornamented  his  signature.  It  resembled  more  than 
any  thing  else  a.  fortification,  with  its  bastions,  its  sa- 
lient angles,  its  retreating  angles,  its  squares,  com- 
partments, &c.  Might  there  not  have  been  always 
about  him  a  kind  of  unconscious  memory  of  the  most 
important  crisis  of  his  life,  and  which  outwardly  ex- 
pressed itself  in  this  very  characteristic  manner  ? 

In  a  former  article  on  Autographs,  we  mentioned 
the  collection  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Raffles  of  Liverpool. 
We  are  now  permitted  to  present  the  following  ex- 
tract of  a  letter  from  that  gentleman  to  Mr.  Tefft 
respecting  some  portion  of  his  collection,  and  we 
must  confess  that  the  extraordinary  value  and  mag- 
nificence of  its  contents  far  surpass  our  utmost  pre- 
vious conceptions. 

"  You  ask  me  about  my  collection  of  Autographs, 


422  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

rny  method  of  arrangement,  &c.  &c.  I  have  se- 
veral series.  The  first  and  principal  series  consists 
of  the  autographs^  chiefly  letters,  of  eminent  and 
remarkable  persons  of  all  classes  and  countries  from 
the  time  of  Henry  VII.  of  England  to  the  present 
day.  These  are  put  upon  tinted  paper  of  folio  size  ; 
one  leaf  of  the  paper  containing  the  autograph,  and 
the  other  the  portrait,  or  something  else  illustrative 
of  the  history  of  the  individual : — for  instance,  with 
Addison's  autograph  you  will  find  his  portrait  after 
Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  and  an  original  number  of  the 
Spectator.  With  Dr.  Johnson's,  you  will  find  a 
view  of  the  house  in  which  he  was  born,  at  Litch- 
field,  and  the  house  in  which  he  died,  dec.  This 
collection  I  hope  soon  to  bind,  and  expect  it  will 
amount  to  twenty  volumes.  To  this  I  intend  adding 
a  supplementary  volume  of  Biographical  Notices. 
This  volume  is  alphabetically  arranged. 

2d — My  American  collection.  This  is  not  yet  ar- 
ranged. It  contains  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence — one  of  which  alone  is  wanting* 
— all  the  Presidents,  with  many  of  the  Vice-Presi- 
dents  and  Governors  of  States  ;  Divines,  and  other 
public  characters, — civil,  naval,  military  and  mis- 
cellaneous. I  have  not  yet  determined  as  to  the 
way  in  which  I  shall  arrange  these ;  but  if  on  folio 
tinted  paper  like  the  others,  I  should  think  that  it 
would  amount  to  eight  or  ten  volumes. 

3d — Authors.     I  have  a  large  collection  of  letters 

*  George  Taylor. 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  4'23 

of  authors  of  all  kinds,  which  I  intend  to  bind  up 
alphabetically,  with  portraits  in  quarto,  leaving  a 
blank  leaf  between  each  letter  for  biographical  no- 
tices.  This  will  contain  many  duplicates  of  such 
as  are  in  the  first-mentioned  series,  and  to  these  I 
may  perhaps  add  Artists. 

4th — Nobility.  Containing  duplicates  of  such  as 
are  in  the  first  collection  by  reason  of  their  celebri- 
ty, or  in  the  third  in  consequence  of  their  being 
authors  ;  or  such  as,  having  nothing  but  their  rank 
to  distinguish  them,  are  already  in  neither  of  the 
above  series. 

5th — To  the  above  classes  I  may  add  several 
distinct  and  separate  volumes,  which  are  complete 
in  themselves  ; — e.  g. 

A  volume  containing  one  hundred  and  twenty  au- 
tographs, letters  of  the  late  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller — 
quarto. 

A  volume  containing  letters  of  Fuller,  Ryland, 
P'awcett,  Pearce  (of  Birmingham,)  &c. — folio. 

A  volume  of  letters  to  George  Whitefield,  all  en- 
dorsed by  himself — folio. 

Do.        Do.       — quarto. 

The  entire  MS.  of  James  Montgomery's  Pelican 
Isle,  with  other  poems,  composing  his  last  published 
volume — quarto. 

The  entire  MS.  of  Wiffen's  translation  of  Tasso 
— 2  vols.  quarto. 

The  Church  Book  of  Oliver  Hey  wood,  the  reject- 
ed Minister. — An  invaluable  little  book,  written 
wholly  with  his  own  hand,  containing  his  covenant. 


424  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

and  that  of  the  church,  and  biographical  notices  of 
the  members. 

A  Thesis,  by  Dr.  Watts. 

A  Manuscript  (Algebra,)  by  Abraham  Sharp  of 
Bradford,  the  friend  and  correspondent  of  Sir  Isaac 
Newton, — a  4to.  vol. 

A  considerable  collection  of  foreigners,  not  in- 
eluded  in  the  first  series. 

A  collection  of  Notes,  which  will  form  several 
volumes  octavo. 

A  folio  volume  of  documents  on  vellum, 

A  folio  volume  of  franks  of  the  Peers  at  the  coro- 
nation of  George  IV,  &c.  &c.  &c. 

I  am,  sir,  &c.  THOS.  RAFFLES." 

In  a  letter  recently  received,  Dr.  Raffles  says : 
"  Pray,  are  your  Signers  complete  ?  I  look  with 
mingled  emotions  of  sorrow  and  hope  upon  the  only 
hiatus  1  have  in  mine." 

We  formerly  inquired  why  so  considerable  a  pro- 
portion  of  Autograph-collectors  appear  to  be  clergy- 
men. Might  not  a  phrenologist  account  for  it  by 
the  faculty  of  reverence,  which  may  be  supposed  to 
be  common  between  both  descriptions  of  persons  ? 
The  same  sentiment  which  conducts  the  mind  to 
the  venerable  records  of  Scripture,  and  to  the  An- 
cient of  Days,  may  guide  them  also  to  other  relics 
of  antiquity,  and  every  surviving  memorial  of 
greatness.  The  following  paragraph  from  the 
newspapers  exhibits  this  taste  in  rather  a  curious 
form  : — 

"The  Rev.  Dr.  Cotton,  ordinary  of  Newgate. 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  425 

has,  far  a  long  series  of  years,  been  devoting  his  at- 
tention to  the  collection  of  dying  speeches,  trials,  &c. 
of  celebrated  criminals,  as  well  as  their  autographs  ; 
and  whenever  they  could  possibly  be  obtained,  of 
their  portraits  also.  The  Rev.  Ordinary  likewise 
possesses  an  extraordinary  collection  of  Chinese 
drawings,  representing  the  torments  in  after-life 
upon  evil-doers,  according  to  Chinese  belief." 

In  our  first  essay  on  Autographs,  we  complained 
that  the  English  Cyclopedias  contained  very  scanty 
and  miserable  notices  of  the  subject.  A  friend  has 
since  kindly  conveyed  to  us  a  volume  of  the  "  Dic- 
tionnaire  de  la  Conversation  et  de  la  Lecture,"  from 
which  we  translate  the  following  article,  as  an 
appropriate  conclusion  to  our  autographic  lucubra- 
tions. 

"AUTOGRAPH,  from  the  Greek  autos,  self,  and 
grapho,  to  write,  signifies  a  writing  from  an  author's 
own  hand.  If  the  men  of  former  generations  had 
attached  the  same  value  as  we  do  to  autograph 
manuscripts  of  great  writers,  to  letters,  and  to  the 
signatures  of  celebrated  personages,  we  should  nei- 
ther be  compelled  to  regret  the  loss  of  so  many 
Greek,  Latin,  and  French  productions,  of  which 
there  remain  scarcely  the  titles  or  even  a  melancho- 
ly remembrance,  nor  the  destruction  of  so  many 
letters,  memoirs,  and  diplomatic  documents,  which 
might  have  assisted  in  dissipating  the  darkness  and 
the  contradictions  that  envelope  the  history  of  an- 
cient times  and  the  middle  ages,  and  in  filling  up 
the  chasms  with  which  it  abounds,  Jn  countries 
36* 


426  A    WEEK    AMOISG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

where  elementary  instruction  is  as  yet  but  little  dif- 
fused, in  ages  when  it  was  unknown,  and  even  at 
very  recent  epochs,  when  it  was  too  much  neg- 
lected, avaricious,  ignorant,  or  superstitious  heirs 
sold  by  weight,  or  delivered  to  the  flames,  without 
scruple  and  without  examination,  all  papers  which 
had  been  transmitted  them  by  deceased  relatives. 
This  is  no  longer  the  case  at  the  present  day,  espe- 
cially at  Paris.  The  preservation  of  papers  and  of 
autograph  writings  has  become  the  object  of  a  spe- 
cial anxiety,  of  a  sort  of  idolatry,  which  among  some 
individuals  has  degenerated  into  a  mania,  a  folly. 
From  this  state  of  things  has  resulted  a  new  kind  of 
commerce,  which  traffickers  and  speculators  openly 
undertake  for  the  sake  of  profit.  Letters,  auto- 
graphic documents,  signatures  affixed  to  diplomas,  to 
public  acts,  or  to  receipts,  upon  paper  or  parchment, 
are  taken  clandestinely  from  public  libraries,  from 
various  archives,  and  from  other  literary  and  poli- 
tical depositories,  by  unfaithful  officers  or  unscru- 
pulous amateurs.  They  are  sought  for,  they  are 
discovered,  among  grocers  and  dealers  in  goods. 
Purchased  for  a  mere  trifle,  they  are  resold  to  the 
curious  at  a  very  high  price.  The  search  for  these 
kinds  of  manuscripts  has  also  produced  a  new 
branch  of  industry.  As  comparatively  but  few  per- 
sons are  wealthy  enough  to  form  expensive  collec- 
tions of  autographs,  the  defect  is  supplied  by  en- 
gravings, and  by  the  still  more  economic  processes 
of  lithography.  Fac-similes,  traced  after  the  origi- 
nals, have  been  published,  either  separately,  or  in 


A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  427 

new  editions  of  our  best  classic  authors,  Corneille, 
Racine,  Boileau,  Bossuet,  Fenelon,  Lafontaine,  Ma- 
dame  de  Sevigne,  Voltaire,  J.  J.  Rousseau,  &c. 
They  have  been  inserted  in  picturesque  travels  and 
other  works.  But  it  is  principally  in  collections 
devoted  to  the  purpose  that  they  are  found  in  the 
greatest  number.  One  of  the  most  prominent  is  the 
work  entitled  "  L'Iconographie  Universelle,"  (Univer- 
sal Likeness-Magazine,)  where  the  fac-simile  of  each 
illustrious  personage  is  subjoined  to  a  biographical 
notice  of  him,  accompanied  by  his  portrait.  It  is 
especially  in  L'Isographie  des  hommes  c^lebres, 
(Hand-writings  of  celebrated  Men  Imitated,")  publish- 
ed in  thirty-one  numbers  in  quarto,  from  1827  to 
1830,  that  we  find  the  most  curious  and  the  most 
numerous  collection  of  fac-similes  of  autograph  let- 
ters and  signatures.  It  contains  not  less  than  seven 
hundred,  of  which  the  originals  were  borrowed  from 
the  library  of  the  King,  from  those  of  Vienna, 
Prague,  ?»f unich,  &c.,  from  the  archives  of  the 
kingdom  and  of  the  different  bureaus  of  administra- 
tion, and  from  private  cabinets.  Lithographic  col- 
lections of  autographs  have  likewise  appeared  in 
England  and  in  Germany  ;  but  they  are  neither  so 
complete,  nor  so  well  arranged,  nor  so  well  executed. 
The  Royal  Library  of  Paris  possesses  an  immense 
collection  of  manuscripts,  autograph  letters,  and 
signatures  of  kings,  princes,  ministers,  warriors, 
scholars,  and  illustrious  persons  of  both  sexes,  whe- 
ther French  or  foreigners,  from  the  13th  century  to 
the  present  time.  Conspicuous  among  them  are  the 


423  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

voluminous  correspondences  of  Marguerite  of  Va- 
lois,  Queen  of  Navarre  ;  of  the  Dukes  of  Guise, 
the  constable  de  Montmorency,  the  raareschal  de 
Saulx-Tavannes,  the  cardinals  du  Bellay,  de  Riche- 
lieu, de  Retz  and  de  Noailles,  de  Peiresc,  and  de 
Bouillaud ;  collections  of  letters  from  Francis  I. 
Henry  IV.  Louis  XIV  ;  the  original  manuscript  of 
the  Telemachus  of  Fenelon.  There  also  is  a  choice 
selection  of  signatures  by  men  of  every  kind  of  ce- 
lebrity, affixed  to  receipts  and  other  instruments  on 
parchment,  among  which  are  three  or  four  signed 
by  Moliere,  and  discovered  a  few  years  ago.  This 
is  all  that  remains  of  the  hand-writing  of  our  most 
illustrious  comic  author.  Several  thousand  pounds' 
weight  of  parchments  of  a  similar  description  have 
been  sold  at  different  times  for  very  insignificant  prices 
to  tradesmen,  who,  after  selecting  out  the  rarest  and 
most  interesting  specimens,  have  sold  them  again  to 
different  amateurs.  The  rest  has  been  passed  off 
to  bookbinders  and  to  glue-makers.*  Autographs 
also  abound  in  the  archives  of  the  Palais  de  Justice, 
and  the  different  departments  of  administration,  still 
more  in  the  archives  of  the  kingdom,  where,  among 
rare  and  curious  documents,  there  is  preserved  a 
charter  of  St.  Louis,  together  with  the  original  of 
the  instrument  containing  the  famous  oath  pro- 
nounced, in  the  tennis-court  at  Versailles,  in  1789, 
and  subscribed  by  the  great  majority  of  deputies  to 
the  States  General.  In  the  same  place,  also,  are 

»  Glue,  it  may  be  remembered,  is  made  from  skins,  and  of 
course  from  parchments. — S.  Rose. 


A    WEKK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS.  429 

preserved  the  signatures  of  all  the  members  of  the 
National  Convention,  and  of  several  other  legisla- 
tive assemblies.  However  rich  France  may  be  in 
autographs,  she  is  surpassed,  not  in  number,  but  in 
antiquity  and  rarity,  by  Italy  and  Spain,  if  it  is 
true  that  the  library  of  Florence  contains  the  Gos- 
pel of  St.  John,  written  by  his  own  hand,  and  that 
several  autograph  manuscripts  of  St.  Augustine  exist 
in  the  library  of  the  Escurial.  The  most  important 
collections  of  autograph  letters  and  signatures  in 
the  possession  of  amateurs  in  Paris,  are  those  of 
M.  Le  Courte  de  Chateau-Giron  ;  the  late  Marquis 
de  Dolomieu  ;  Mons.  de  Monmerque,  counsellor  of 
the  royal  court ;  Mons.  Guilbert-Pixerecourt,  a  pro- 
fessor of  literature  ;  Mons.  Berard,  a  Deputy  and 
Counsellor  of  State  ;  Mons.  Berthevin,  formerly 
keeper  of  the  Royal  Printing  Establishment.  That 
of  Mons.  Villenave,  more  numerous  perhaps  than 
the  others,  contains,  it  is  said,  twenty-two  thousand 
signatures  or  different  writings  ;  but  the  greatest 
part  of  them  were  inscribed  by  persons  more  re- 
markable by  their  rank,  their  titles,  and  their  of- 
fices, than  for  their  actions  or  productions.  For 
instance,  all  the  French  generals  of  the  Revolution, 
even  the  most  obscure,  figure  in  this  collection. 
We  will  also  refer  to  the  collections  of  M.  de  Saint- 
Gervais,  the  Marquis  Aligre,  M.  Anatole  de  Mon, 
tesquiou,  and  Mons.  Perie,  director  of  the  Museum 
at  Nimes,  and  husband  of  Madame  Simons-Can- 
deille." 

NOTE. — It  may  be  mentioned,  as  an  instance  of 


430  A    WEEK    AMONG    AUTOGRAPHS. 

the  extreme  difficulty  of  procuring  a  complete  set  of 
the  signatures  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
that  Mr.  Tefft,  although  an  American,  and  enjoying 
for  many  years  great  facilities  in  the  pursuit  of  au- 
tographs, has  been  able,  with  the  utmost  exertions, 
to  procure  no  more  than  thirty-nine  out  of  the  ori- 
gina.]  fifty -six  signatures.  It  is  remarkable  that  Dr. 
Raffles  of  Liverpool  should  have  been  so  much  more 
successful  in  this  branch  of  the  pursuit.  Mr.  TeftYs 
present  list  of  desiderata  is  as  follows  : — Braxton, 
Floyd,  Hart,  Lynch,  jun.,  L.  Morris,  Middleton, 
Morton,  Nelson,  jun.,  Penn,  Ross,  Read,  Rodney, 
Stone,  Smith,  Taylor,  Thornton,  Wilson.  Should 
the  present  notices  ever  meet  the  eye  of  some  happy 
possessor  of  any  of  these  lacking  signatures,  per- 
chance he  may  be  still  happier  by  generously  trans, 
mitting  them,  to  the  address  of  I.  K.  Tefft,  Esq. 
Savannah,  who,  we  feel  assured,  would  in  that  in- 
stance complete  the  degrees  of  comparison,  and  be- 
come in  very  deed  the  happiest. 


THE    END. 


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